“With the election on the horizon, there’s never been a better time for Labour to prove itself by taking bold action and implementing our well-researched and entirely reasonable demands.”
Molly Shelton, an organiser of the ‘Labour Be Bold’ campaign
By Green New Deal Rising
Beginning on the 14th July at 11am, young climate activists in Edinburgh plan to protest outside of Ian Murray’s constituency office every Friday, to urge Labour to commit to doing more in the face of the Climate and Ecological Emergency.
The group have criticised the Labour Party’s failure to adequately respond to repeated calls from young people for rapid decarbonisation, a just transition to a low emissions economy and investment in green jobs. Ian Murray is the Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland in Keir Starmer’s Shadow Cabinet.
The protest is part of a national campaign by Green New Deal Rising pressuring the Labour Party to ‘Be Bold’ in their manifesto pledges ahead of the next UK General Election, which must be held before December 2024. They are demanding that the Labour Party commit to passing legislation which expands public ownership, taxes wealth, delivers a green jobs guarantee and a living income, enacts a National Nature Service and makes polluters pay globally in the first 100 days after the election.
The weekly protests, which will simultaneously happen outside Labour MP offices around the UK, are being run due to the groups’ hope that they will galvanise their campaign ahead of the Labour Party’s annual conference in Liverpool, by putting pressure on key Labour politicians and engaging the general public about the Climate and Ecological Emergency.
Calum Hodgson, a member of the group from Edinburgh said: ”We are here protesting because as Scotland’s only Labour MP, we need to see Ian Murray do more for young people in Scotland. He has previously written in support of a Green New Deal, so if he’s serious about tackling the climate crisis we need him to stand up and speak out against the Labour Leadership’s current backsliding.”
The weekly sit-outs will be a brilliant demonstration of young people’s commitment to climate justice, with protests, discussions with the public, speeches, readings, and workshops at MP’s doors each week.
Keir Starmer announced Labour’s ‘Green Industrial Strategy’ earlier this year, but has already U-turned on a number of issues in response to fossil fuel lobbying, such as reneging on his commitment to prevent new North Sea oil fields from opening and delaying the timing of green investment. Polls consistently show that the electorate are in favour of more action on environmental issues and public ownership.
Molly Shelton, another organiser of the campaign, said: “With broad support across the UK for a Green New Deal, Labour is failing voters and refusing to show leadership on climate. We need to rapidly reduce emissions, tax polluters and create millions of good, unioned, green jobs. With the election on the horizon, there’s never been a better time for Labour to prove itself by taking bold action and implementing our well-researched and entirely reasonable demands.”
- You can follow Green New Deal Rising (GNDR) on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
- If you support Labour Outlook’s work amplifying the voices of left movements and struggles in the UK and internationally, please consider becoming a supporter on Patreon.
