Parties 'ignoring environment'

MEET the candidates . . . (from left) Adam King (Green Party), Kashif Ali (Conservative), Debbie Abrahams (Labour) and Jonathan Smith (Liberal Democrats)

THE Green Party has accused the other political parties of ignoring the environment.

The party said that the climate and countryside will 'pay the price' of an environment-free election, and claim that any environment legislation will be put in jeopardy by a hard Brexit.

Adam King, Green Party candidate for Oldham West and Royton, said: "Laws that come from being in the EU have cleaned up our rivers and beaches, given better protection for animals and are being used to force the government to act on deadly air pollution."

In addition to its main manifesto, the party has launched a special environment manifesto. Among the pledges are:

* Safeguarding and building on existing protection laws in Brexit negotiations and trade deals and in a new Environmental Protection Act.

* An energy system which takes full advantage of the dramatically falling price of clean, renewable energy, phasing out dirty and dangerous fossil fuels, creating new jobs and tackling climate change.

* Taking back control of our energy system from the Big Six by building democratic, locally owned alternatives.

Failed

Andy Hunter-Rossall, Green Party candidate for Failsworth and Ashton, added: "The air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat are vital to our health and the health of our families. Tackling climate change is vital for our future survival. But the government has repeatedly put short-term interests ahead of our environment.

"They have failed to protect us from air pollution and from flooding, and have cut vital funding for our growing renewable energy sector."

The environment manifesto can be viewed here https://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/green-party-environment-manifesto.pdf.