Reacting to the announcements around net-zero during the King’s
speech, Dr George Dibb, head of the Centre for Economic Justice,
said:
“The best way to ensure energy security, attract business
investment, and reduce reliance on importing fossil fuels is by
investing in renewables, not through new oil and gas licenses.
"The lack of legislation to match the efforts of the EU and USA
on green industrial strategy is a huge backwards step which
undermines the international consensus on climate change and
won’t attract investment in the industries of the future here in
the UK.”
Reacting to the announcements on oil and gas, Josh Emden, senior
research fellow at IPPR, said:
“By far the best way to improve energy security, cut bills and
support workers is investing more time and money in renewables.
Our research shows new oil and gas fields would only cut oil and
gas imports by 4 per cent and 2 per cent respectively. The
alternative of no new fields and faster renewable rollout would
cut them by 12 per cent and 17 per cent.
“This is just further confirmation of what public polling is
already showing: that the government is spending too much time
distracted by the false promise of oil and gas and not enough
time rolling out renewables more quickly that could actually make
a difference to the cost of living.”
Reacting to the announcements around smoking, Chris Thomas, head
of the Commission on Health and Prosperity, said:
“The government’s commitment to new smokefree legislation is a
landmark policy, but one in search of a bigger vision.
“The UK has become the ‘sick man of Europe’ - with addiction,
long NHS waiting lists, poor quality housing, obesity, and poor
mental health all contributing to the ailing health of our
nation. In turn, IPPR’s Commission on Health and Prosperity has
shown that this avoidable illness is harming people’s wages,
driving up economic inactivity and undermining broad based
prosperity.
“Health should be a core mission for the UK, across government
and all of society. We need this government to pull more of the
many levers available to it to deliver a happier, more prosperous
future.”
Reacting to the announcements around housing, Maya Singer Hobbs,
senior research fellow, said: “Leasehold is an archaic and
unfair part of the UK housing system. Although the plan to ban
leaseholds on new houses is welcome as a step in the right
direction, the real issue is with what wasn’t announced. The
announcement does not cover new flats, which make up 70 per cent
of leaseholds in England.
“The promise to protect renters, but without abolishing Section
21 ’no fault’ evictions outright, rings hollow when people are at
risk of eviction now.”
