RIVALS COME CLEAN OVER GOING GREEN
ROB FERGUSON, 30, sales director, from Minster, Kent, engaged to be married:
What will you do to reduce the cost of food and ensure food security, particularly in time of war?
CONSERVATIVE: Covid and the war in Ukraine led prices to soar, tightening household budgets. That’s why we made halving inflation the Government’s top priority. By sticking to our plan we have brought it down by more than half and it’s due to fall further.
But I am conscious times are still tough for people so we are working closely with supermarkets and have a high degree of food security in the UK, with 61 per cent of all we need grown domestically alongside highly resilient supply chains with countries across the world.
This year we have allocated grants worth £427million to farmers to help them improve productivity and invest in the latest hi-tech equipment, helping to produce food more competitively.
LABOUR:
Our New Deal for Farmers will boost rural economic growth and tackle the causes of rising prices and empty shelves. We will cut farmers’ energy bills by switching on GB Energy to harness cleaner and cheaper wind, wave, solar and nuclear power; cut Tory red tape at the borders to get British food exports flowing again; and use the Government’s own purchasing power to back British produce.
JULIE FOSTER, married with a son, a daughter and four grandchildren, living in Burnley, retired college lecturer: How will you stop water companies pumping untreated sewage into rivers and seas?
CONSERVATIVE:
I am angry and frustrated about the sewage in our waterways and it’s why we have taken lots of action, which is starting to have an impact. The Thames Tideway super sewer, a £4.5billion infrastructure project that has taken eight years to construct, begins testing soon. It is just one example of the record levels of investment we want to improve waterways.
But when it comes to holding polluters to account, we’ve announced a ban on water bosses’ bonuses when criminal breaches have occurred, subject to an Ofwat consultation.
We are also quadrupling water company inspections this year.
LABOUR:
RISING water bills and outrage over the sewage being pumped into our rivers and lakes is a serious challenge confronting the Government right now. But there are many more hot issues facing ministers in the Department for the Environment, Food And Rural Affairs.
From forests, fishing, farming and flood defences to badgers, booze and biodiversity, their decisions have a huge impact on the daily lives of millions of ordinary people.
Today the Conservatives and Labour go head to head to outline how they would tackle pollution, cut plastic waste, improve food security and make Britain a cleaner, healthier place in which to live. Environment
We will put failing water companies under “special measures” to force them to clean up their toxic mess. Conservatives have let water bosses pocket £25million in bonuses since the last election. Labour will give the regulator new powers to block the payment of bonuses until water bosses have cleaned up their filth, and we’ll make bosses face the full force of the law through personal criminal liability if they continue to allow illegal sewage dumping.
Secretary STEVE BARCLAY tells us he will hold polluters to account and will quadruple water inspections this year.
His Labour opposite number STEVEN REED says that if his party wins power he will boost rural economic growth by backing British produce and tackling the causes of rising prices.
Their encounter is the latest in our Great Election Debate, a series giving you, the reader, a chance to put your questions to top politicians on the issues that matter to you.
In the months ahead, we’ll put government ministers and their Labour shadows on the spot on all the big issues from health and crime, to tax and immigration.
EDWARD SCHULDT, 77, living in London, retired, married with one son and two daughters, and eight grandchildren:
How will you restore the damage to the environment caused by HS2?
CONSERVATIVE: Like all major developments, HS2 is legally required to minimise its impacts on the environment. We’re working with HS2 to deliver projects that will create or restore habitats, provide new accessible green space, and conserve the historic environment.
LABOUR:
The Government blew up the HS2 project, disrupting communities and the natural environment without delivering the benefits. We will hold HS2 to account, ensuring it delivers against its promises for nature, and making sure any environmental licences are properly scrutinised. Labour will grow our economy and protect nature.
RICHARD JACK, 45, psychologist living in Newcastle, married, father of one:
How will you revive Britain’s fishing industry and stop foreign vessels raiding stocks?
CONSERVATIVE: Thanks to our Brexit freedoms as an independent coastal state, we’ve never had greater control of our waters. We’ve secured 750,000 tons of fishing opportunities worth up to £970million in 2024, more than we would have received as an EU Member State.
We are backing fishing communities with £100million of investment to improve infrastructure and modernise the industry.
LABOUR:
The Conservatives have sold out our British fishing industry; crushing it with heavy-handed bureaucracy.
On their watch, over the last ten years the number of UK registered fishing vessels has fallen by 14 per cent and we have lost 2,100 fishers from the industry.
We will seek to tear down any unnecessary trade barriers and push for more fish to be caught in British waters and landed in British ports, supporting British processing jobs.
CLAIRE FAYERS, 56, children’s author living in Abergavenny:
What is the next item of plastic or non-sustainable material that should be banned?
CONSERVATIVE: As a Conservative, I would rather empower people to make informed choices than ban things, but there
are exceptions where clear harm is being done. That’s why we’re banning disposable vapes. As a father, I know many parents are concerned about the harm these pose to children. They’re also a huge cause of waste and litter, with almost five million thrown away each week, and we need to address it.
LABOUR: Plastic wet wipes clog up our sewers, kill wildlife and lead to sewage backing up into people’s homes.
The Conservatives have broken their promises to act and are too weak to ban them outright.
Labour will impose a full ban on the sale, supply and manufacture of plastic wet wipes, working with businesses to have all plastic removed as quickly possible.
MATT CRESWELL, 45, teacher living in East London, married with one son and one daughter:
Should a free trade deal with the United States allow chlorinated chicken on our shelves?
CONSERVATIVE: We back British farmers and put their interests first and foremost in our trade deals.
Without exception, we will continue to protect food standards in the UK under all existing and future Free Trade agreements, and we’ve been clear that means no chlorine-washed chicken.
Our refusal to sign a proposed trade deal with Canada that was against UK farmers’ interests shows how we will always stand up for our farmers and our standards in any international negotiations.
LABOUR: The United States will always be an important ally with clear opportunities for economic co-operation and we want to collaborate with one of our closest allies to maximise trade, open business links, and deliver good jobs in the UK. However, Labour will not allow chlorinated chicken into the UK as part of that.
SARAH BRACKWELL, 45, disability access consultant living in London:
When will the import and export of live animals come to a complete stop?
CONSERVATIVE: Now we have left the European Union we can permanently stop exports of live animals for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain – which we know causes animals unnecessary stress and injury – through the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill, which is making its way through Parliament.we could not have done this if we had stayed in the EU.
LABOUR: Labour has long called for the ban of exports of farmed animals for slaughter to save animals from enduring unnecessary stress, exhaustion and injury.
Last year Labour tried to change the law to end the live export of animals.
Instead of following Labour’s lead, the Conservatives obstructed our efforts. We should not be seeing animals potentially facing stress or harm in difficult journeys, but thanks to this Government we still do.
ALISON BRAGG, 51, living in Workington, home-educating mother of three sons and three daughters:
What priority would you attach to native British tree planting?
CONSERVATIVE:
It’s a big, long-term priority.we have planted more than 15 million trees since 2019 and we have a stretching target to increase tree canopy and woodland cover in England to at least
16.5 per cent by 2050.
We are investing in our nation’s trees with £650million in funding to create and maintain resilient forests and woodlands.
LABOUR: Labour created our national parks, opened the coastal footpath, and passed the world’s first laws to tackle climate change.
We will build on this proud legacy and plant the right trees in the right places to clean our air and provide beautiful green spaces in our cities, towns and countryside.
JOHN KANE, 45, local government worker living in Trowbridge, father of three daughters and one son:
Should the greenbelt and countryside be protected from the drive to build new affordable homes?
CONSERVATIVE: The Green Belt is a cherished part of our countryside, which is why we’ve given it strong protections and wherever practicable brownfield land should be used instead.
Our plan means building new homes in inner cities where demand is highest rather than concreting over our green spaces as Labour would do.
LABOUR: Under the Tories, developers have “potholed” the highest quality, naturerich areas of the Green Belt to build multimillion-pound luxury houses.
Labour will build 1.5 million homes to extend the dream of home ownership by building on brownfield first.
This will include “grey belt” sites such as old car parks, scrubland and former industrial or retail sites.
ANDREW BURKINSHAW 47, deputy headteacher living in London, married with two daughters
How will you protect households from the increasing dangers of flooding?
Labour will impose a full ban on the sale, supply and manufacture of plastic wet wipes
STEVEN REED Labour
CONSERVATIVE: Since 2015 we have better protected more than 380,000 properties from flooding, which is good progress, but we are going further and spending £5.6billion between 2021 and 2027 to build more than 1,000 new flood and coastal defences across the country.
LABOUR: Thanks to 14 years of negligence, families have been left to watch in despair as polluted floodwater destroys their homes.
Labour will set up a Flood Resilience Task Force to co-ordinate between Whitehall and agencies on the ground.
This will make sure that the flood drainage, flood defences and flood management schemes we need are in place to protect people.