Daily Archives: 8 November 2023

Tories branded ‘totally reckless’ as 2023 set to be hottest year on record

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/tories-branded-totally-reckless-as-2023-set-to-be-hottest-year-on-record/

The Tories have also been accused of running a “government of destruction”

Image of InBedWithBigOil by Not Here To Be Liked + Hex Prints from Just Stop Oil's You May Find Yourself... art auction. Featuring Rishi Sunak, Fossil Fuels and Rupert Murdoch.
Image of InBedWithBigOil by Not Here To Be Liked + Hex Prints from Just Stop Oil’s You May Find Yourself… art auction. Featuring Rishi Sunak, Fossil Fuels and Rupert Murdoch.

Leading climate scientists have said that 2023 will go down in history as the hottest year on record, as the climate crisis continues to accelerate. Samantha Burgess, the deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service today said: “We can say with near certainty that 2023 will be the warmest year on record, and is currently 1.43C above the pre-industrial average.”

The news is a stark warning that governments are failing to get a grip on the climate emergency mere weeks before a crucial climate summit in Dubai later this month. World leaders will be meeting for the COP28 summit from November 30 to December 12 in pursuit of international agreements to reduce carbon emissions.

It also comes just one day after Rishi Sunak’s government used the King’s Speech to confirm plans for further licensing of oil and gas fields in the North Sea.

As a result, the Tory government has come under heavy criticism for its climate policies. Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer branded the government ‘totally reckless’ for continuing to push ahead with more fossil fuel extraction.

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/tories-branded-totally-reckless-as-2023-set-to-be-hottest-year-on-record/

Continue ReadingTories branded ‘totally reckless’ as 2023 set to be hottest year on record

Left Foot Forward EXCLUSIVE: Poll shows huge support for nationalisation of key industries and utilities

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/exclusive-poll-shows-huge-support-for-nationalisation-of-key-industries-and-utilities/

Privatisation has failed.

Image of an East Coast train
An East Coast train at King’s Cross station

An exclusive poll for LFF shows huge public support for nationalisation of key industries and utilities, with the public having little confidence in the private sector, showing just how badly privatisation has failed.

Our poll shows that a majority of the public support public ownership of key industries and utilities like energy, water, railways, buses and the postal service – including among Conservative voters.

Buses: 67% want public ownership

67% of voters want to see buses in public ownership, with just 23% wanting private sector involvement. Support for public ownership of buses is highest among 18-24 year olds at 77%, with 64% of those aged 65 and over also supporting public ownership.

When it comes to party affiliation, a majority of Conservative Party voters want to see buses in public ownership (61%) as do Labour voters (72%) and Lib Dem voters (66%).

Water: 73% want public ownership

When it comes to water companies, 73% of voters want public ownership of water companies, compared to 18% who want them to be run by the private sector. Once again, a majority of Tory voters also want to see public ownership (70%) as do Labour voters (81%) and Lib Dem voters (77%). 88% of Green Party voters also want to see water companies taken into public ownership.

Railways: 70% support for public ownership

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Energy: 65% want public ownership

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Postal service: 70% want public ownership

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NHS: 81% want public sector involvement only

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/exclusive-poll-shows-huge-support-for-nationalisation-of-key-industries-and-utilities/

Continue ReadingLeft Foot Forward EXCLUSIVE: Poll shows huge support for nationalisation of key industries and utilities

Shadow minister Imran Hussain quits Labour front bench over Gaza

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/shadow-minister-imran-hussain-quits-labour-front-bench-over-gaza/

Shadow minister Imran Hussain quits Labour front bench over Starmer’s failure to call for a ceasefire in Gaza

“Over recent weeks, it has become clear that my view on the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza differs substantially from the position you have adopted.”

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Labour leader Keir Starmer has so far resisted calls for a ceasefire from within his own party, including from members of his shadow cabinet as well as from the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham. The Labour leader said that the terrorist group Hamas would be “emboldened” by a ceasefire, four weeks after it killed 1,400 people in Israel.

Announcing his resignation on X, formerly Twitter, Hussain wrote in his letter: “Over recent weeks, it has become clear that my view on the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza differs substantially from the position you have adopted.

“A ceasefire is essential to ending the bloodshed, to ensuring that enough aid can pass into Gaza and reach those most in need, and to help ensure the safe return of the Israeli hostages.”

He added that the cutting of food, water, power, and medicine to Palestinians in Gaza is an act of collective punishment that violates international law and is a ‘clear war crime’.

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/shadow-minister-imran-hussain-quits-labour-front-bench-over-gaza/

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Theresa May urges government ‘not to roll backwards’ on net zero commitment

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Former UK Prime Minister Theresa May

https://www.politics.co.uk/news/2023/11/08/theresa-may-urges-government-not-to-roll-backwards-on-net-zero-commitment/

Theresa May has said the “best long-term decision” the government can make is on climate change because action is integral to the “long-term future” of the UK.

Speaking in the debate on the King’s Speech yesterday, the former prime minister suggested the government was not being sufficiently “strong in ambition” to meet the 2050 net zero target.

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The King’s Speech contained plans to have licences for oil and gas projects in the North Sea awarded annually. 

There have recently been questions raised about the government’s ability to meet its 2050 net zero target, with its climate advisers warning the UK risks falling behind without much faster action.

In its latest progress report, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) said the “expansion of fossil fuel production is not in line with net zero“.

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https://www.politics.co.uk/news/2023/11/08/theresa-may-urges-government-not-to-roll-backwards-on-net-zero-commitment/

Continue ReadingTheresa May urges government ‘not to roll backwards’ on net zero commitment