- 21/09/2023
- Posted by: Jon Pearce MP
- Category: News
Yesterday was another object lesson in bad government. A divided party, leaking and briefing against each other, emergency cabinet meetings and desperate policy announcements on the hoof.
Businesses need stability and confidence in order to invest. So it is no surprise that they are up in arms after Rishi Sunak weakened and kicked the can down the road on his Government’s own targets to reduce the UK’s harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
It’s not very often I agree with Boris Johnson but he was right yesterday when he said that businesses “must have certainty about our Net Zero commitments”
Representatives of UK manufacturing said this “sends exactly the wrong message… we aren’t looking forward, we’re going backwards.”
Ford motors pleaded: ‘Our business needs three things from the UK govt: ambition, commitment & consistency. A relaxation of 2030 would undermine all three.’
Indeed, Rishi Sunak himself only a matter of weeks ago said he had no intention of ditching the 2030 target date, with number 10 arguing the target has been critical in securing investment in EV manufacturing and supply chains.
Was he wrong then or is he wrong now?
It is no wonder businesses feel betrayed.
This is bad for business, bad for jobs, bad for household energy costs and bad for our environment.
Nobody (not even his own party) voted for Rishi Sunak and he has no mandate for the ditching of these commitments. He should do the right thing and call a general election.
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𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬
One of the very worst legacies of 14 years of Conservative governments is the soiling of our beautiful, nature rich rivers in High Peak with raw sewage.
High Peak is one of the top fifty worst affected constituencies by sewage being dumped into our rivers. In 2023 the River Derwent and the River Wye suffered thousands of sewage overflows contributing to water pollution and ecological harm.
Yet the water company bosses responsible rewarded themselves with outrageous bonuses. In the 2023 financial year, the United Utilities CEO received a remuneration of £3.2 million including nearly a million pounds worth of annual bonus. Severn Trent, which was fined £2 million this year for reckless pollution, still lifted its bonuses to £3.36 million. We must stop rewarding failure.
I spoke about this issue in Parliament on the 75th anniversary of the foundation of our National Parks. I’m delighted that the government’s Water (Special Measures) Bill would enable government and the regulators to achieve the commitments outlined in the 2024 Labour manifesto:
• To block the payment of bonuses to executives who pollute waterways;
• To bring criminal charges against persistent law breakers;
• To impose automatic and severe fines for wrongdoing;
• To ensure independent monitoring of every outlet.
At the General Election, ending pollution of High Peak’s rivers and waters was a top priority. It was raised in all six hustings that I did, often more than once. In High Peak, the pumping of raw sewage into our precious rivers has become emblematic of the utter chaos and failure of the last 14 years.
So I greatly welcome the measures in this bill. The independent monitoring of all outlets will provide greater transparency for people in High Peak and will enable the regulators to hold United Utilities and Severn Trent to account. This, combined with the increased ability of the Environment Agency to bring forward criminal charges against law breaking water executives with tougher penalties including up to 2 years in prison, as well as new powers for OFWAT to ban bonuses unless water bosses meet higher standards of environmental protection, really should concentrate the minds of executives at Severn Trent and United Utilities.
It was a Labour government that created our National Parks 75 years ago and it is a Labour government that is taking the steps to protect the rivers that run through them for the next 75 years.
11 CommentsComment on Facebook
Keep us out of Manchester as we are a national park NOT a city suburb
No essential service should be owned by private companies which are, by definition, more concerned with profit; water, gas, electricity, transport, post, etc, etc should all be in public ownership.
It's time to sort out the railway franchise companies. Time after time they ruin people's day travel. They cancel trains at the drop of a hat, knowing full well they don't have driver's. Engineering works over running, but they still run trains after taking hard earned money from the public to then say cancelled. They then charge more than your full return journey to travel the next few miles as a single ticket. It's absolutely disgusting. These private rail companies and water companies require some serious legislation. All the tip of the iceberg of these companies. Shameful.
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