As highlighted last month, statistics show that renewable energy growth has slowed in the last year, despite promises from the Conservatives to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and to make Britain the "Saudi Arabia of wind energy."
Offshore wind capacity grew by just 4% in 2020, compared to 20% the previous year. Onshore wind increased its capacity by just 1.1%, continuing a downward trend since 2017, when the Conservatives made it significantly harder to build new onshore wind farms. Solar capacity increased by 1.6%, continuing its limited growth since the Conservatives cut subsidies for solar power in 2016.
The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to guarantee that no EU citizen without Settled Status will fall victim to the Hostile Environment, as new figures show that more than half a million people were still waiting for a decision on their application when the deadline hit on Wednesday.
The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to keep masks mandatory on public transport after 19th July.
Munira Wilson MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health, believes it would be a small price worth paying to protect others:
"Many people, especially the vulnerable, do not yet feel confident enough to travel on crowded public transport. There are millions who have still not been double jabbed, and are therefore at greater risk of both becoming ill themselves and spreading the virus to others.
Liberal Democrats have warned the Government that small businesses face a 'black hole' in support, risking thousands of closures and job losses.
Furlough begins to taper away and the business rates holiday comes to an end on July 1st. However, restrictions are set to remain in place until 19th July.
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Treasury, Christine Jardine MP said:
The Conservatives have proposed a retirement scheme to support farmers who wish to leave the industry, freeing up land for new entrants. However, no analysis has been done on the number expected to take up the scheme, nor how many new entrants will replace them.
Questions from the Liberal Democrats have revealed that the Government only "think" that new workers will enter the industry.
Coun Glenys Falconer said: "I encourage the residents of Chesterfield to shop locally where they are able to, and pop into the town's cafes and restaurants for a cup of coffee, a bun or a meal. Chesterfield Borough Council is trying to encourage this message through our current 'Love Chesterfield' campaign, which aims to promote the incredible businesses that we have here and show everyone that the town centre is a fantastic place to visit."Nobody likes to see empty shops in the town centre, but if people don't come into town and make use of the shops, cafes and restaurants then they can't keep going without the support of regular customers."
Instead of fixing the broken system, she is pressing ahead with damaging plans that will create more chaos.
No amount of tough talk and bluster from the Home Secretary can hide the fact that she has utterly failed to get a grip on the UK's broken immigration system.
Years of Home Office failure, coupled with hostile policies and rhetoric from successive Conservative Home Secretaries, have shattered public confidence.
Instead of fixing the broken system, Priti Patel is pressing ahead with damaging plans that will create more chaos and make it harder for British employers to recruit the workers they need.
She talks about a new 'digital border', but apparently forgot to mention that the existing project is years behind schedule and more than £170 million over budget.
And she is refusing to provide safe and legal routes for vulnerable refugees to come to the UK, even as she invokes our proud tradition of offering sanctuary to those in need.
Priti Patel has been talking tough about immigration for ages, while failing miserably to make the system fairer or more effective.
As she said today: enough is enough.
We're liberal, progressive, and internationalist. Our values have put us on the right side of history: From leading the fight against the Iraq war and tripling renewable energy production, to legalising same-sex marriage and fighting Brexit every step of the way. If you share our values and want to turn that into making a real difference, join us today - https://www.libdems.org.uk/joining-us
New statistics show that renewable energy generation growth has slowed significantly in the last year, despite promises from the Conservatives to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and to make Britain the "Saudi Arabia of wind energy."
Offshore wind generation capacity grew by just 4% in 2020, compared to 20% the previous year.
Last week, the High Court ruled that the Government acted unlawfully over their awarding of a £560,000 Covid contract. After the verdict, Liberal Democrats Spokesperson for Home Affairs Alistair Carmichael MP said:
"Today's ruling should be a wake-up call. This is yet another example of the cronyism at the heart of this Conservative Government. While the Liberal Democrats were fighting for the three million people who have been excluded from government support, they were focusing on enriching their mates.
"It's little wonder the Conservatives are so keen on weakening the courts and restricting judicial review, given how often their Ministers are found to have acted unlawfully.
"This unapologetic cronyism shows that this Government is not fit to Govern."
The Conservatives long delayed Environment Bill will face amendments from the Liberal Democrats to protect green spaces and wildlife after falling short on local environment protections.
The Lib Dems have accused the Government of 'outright hypocrisy' after proposing a mass change to planning law which would allow developers to cause damage to nature habitats alongside the Environment Bill being debated today. The Bill would deny Councils the ability to block new developments for environmental reasons.
