Surprise loss has Labour shredding their environmental policy

On the same day Lib Dem voters in Somerton and Frome were giving the Conservatives a bloody nose by electing a new Liberal Democrat MP to replace their previous absentee Tory, Labour stuttered in former PM Boris Johnson’s seat of Uxbridge & South Ruislip.

In the aftermath of their surprise loss to the Conservatives, Labour have entered a veritable civil war over their environmental offerings, with the leadership taking pot shots at their own party’s London Mayor over the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone roll out. But the fact is, this is simply a continuation of a trend already seen in the Labour Party, which is increasingly shredding its green credentials on a regular basis.

This is the same party that in June confirmed oil and gas would be a crucial part of their energy mix for years to come, going so far as to say, like the Tories, they would allow the commissioning of new oil fields. This is the same party that announced then summarily revoked a flagship policy to spend £28bn a year on building up a green development industry.

By contrast, the Liberal Democrats believe the climate emergency requires urgent government action, and would start by reinstating the Green Investment Bank abolished by the Tories in 2015 when we left government, and decarbonise capitalism by regulating the London Stock Exchange, through which 15% of global emissions flow.