Responding to the results of the Welsh, Scottish and local elections in England, Ami McCarthy (they/them), Head of Politics at Greenpeace UK said:
“Despite Reform’s gains, huge numbers of people have voted for political parties that promise an escape from fossil fuel crises and greater protection for the nature we love. The winning parties in Wales and Scotland both have plans to reach net zero earlier than the Westminster government. The Greens have seen their first two mayors in London and gains from Hastings to Glasgow and Bangor to Norwich. This adds up to a resounding mandate for ambitious action to secure cheap, homegrown renewable energy and to protect our environment.
“The lesson Labour should take from this drubbing is that green policies offer a path out of political irrelevance. Our own polling shows former Labour voters strongly support investing in renewables, taxing the war profits of oil and gas giants and protecting our wildlife and oceans. There are many reasons why people voted Reform, but I’m prepared to bet that few of them involved a desire to rip up the rules that protect nature or to keep our bills at the mercy of Trump’s foreign wars.”
Ends
Contact: Greenpeace UK Press Office – 07970 030 019 / press.uk@greenpeace.org
Notes:
- New YouGov polling commissioned by Greenpeace suggests that voters, particularly Labour defectors, would like to see the Labour government adopt stronger policies on climate and nature. See the results here.
- Greenpeace has analysed the manifestoes in all three nations and assessed each party’s plans on key policy areas including: climate and energy, homes and transport, justice and democracy, and nature and the environment. Read the results here.