Greenpeace responds to Sunak's conference speech

Responding to Rishi Sunak’s party conference speech, Greenpeace UK’s head of politics, Rebecca Newsom, said:

“In his desperate attempts to cling on to power, Sunak chose to sow division and distract people from the real problems the country faces, like the cost of living crisis, crumbling public services, and the climate crisis.

“While he had to tackle the international embarrassment of failing to deliver HS2, his decision to divert the money into over 70 road schemes shows how little he really cares about tackling air pollution, traffic and cutting carbon emissions. While investment in Midlands and Northern rail may provide better value for money, the full £36bn for HS2 should have been redirected to public transport to truly help level up the UK, protect children’s lungs, and help cut household costs. 

“The many problems we face can be fixed with the same solutions we know will tackle the climate emergency - from boosting renewables for cheaper energy, to insulating homes to lower bills. These policies are incredibly popular, particularly among voters in the Blue Wall and key marginal constituencies - Sunak ignores them at his peril.”