Chester North and Neston

The UK General Election took place 4 July 2024.

At Chester and District Friends of the Earth we contacted local MP candidates to ask them 4 questions about the climate, so voters across Chester and the surrounding areas know how candidates plan to address some of the most urgent issues we face today; the climate and nature crises.

Check out the Chester North and Neston MP candidate responses below in alphabetical order by party.

Question 1. The UK has a commitment to reduce emissions by at least 68% by 2030 (compared to 1990). Would you honour this target, and what would you prioritise to achieve it?

Conservative Party, Simon Eardley

I believe that a strong commitment to the environment, and as this question suggests, to the UK reducing emissions in the way outlined, is a fundamentally Conservative value and I am proud to associate myself with it. Progress has been made – Britain is the first major economy to have halved carbon emissions – but more needs to be done! As someone who works in industry, in maritime, I know how important it is for our sector to transition towards a cleaner and greener future. We are an incredibly efficient way to transport goods (95% of our trade in the UK is seaborne) but at the moment this comes with a heavy environmental cost. I’ve been involved in deployment of £206 million of funding from Government in recent years to help decarbonise maritime with support for innovation projects that will help the industry transition to new fuels (amongst other things). This also represents a massive economic opportunity for us to use our world leading research and development skills and expertise to deliver solutions to global problems like this. Whilst maritime is only one example of where we need to focus, the general principle here is the need to bring about decarbonisation of industry in as rapid a way as possible but one which also recognises the need to secure jobs and livelihoods. Prioritisation of renewable energy is one way to bring about further reductions. Again, whilst this is a clear environmental imperative in principle, it also represents an economic opportunity. The UK has considerable expertise in offshore wind (we’ve built more than any other country except China, and increasingly, floating offshore wind technology, including here on the western side of the country. In terms of solar, more action should be taken to boost rooftop solar, which is an efficient use of space and can help households and businesses take control of their energy bills. The UK has low levels of domestic rooftop solar, with just 6% of homes having panels. To boost solar coverage, I believe solar panels should be required on new homes and commercial buildings – the cost of adding panels to a new house is paid back in under a decade through energy bill savings. I strongly support a focus on nuclear energy too. Without wishing to be repetitive, this represents a considerable opportunity for us, including in the Cheshire West and Chester area. In the ward where I am councillor (Saughall and Mollington Ward; Capenhurst village), the Government recently announced nearly £200 million of investment into Urenco to build a uranium enrichment facility that will produce high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel by 2031 for export or use domestically. This is likely to support 400 highly skilled jobs, power the UK’s future nuclear power stations and ensure other countries are not reliant on Russia for advanced nuclear fuel, a market which it currently dominates.

Green Party, Nick Brown

Absolutely. There has been very little talk about the climate crisis over the course of the election. We need to take bold and rapid action to mitigate some of the impact of the crisis but also to adapt to the changes that are, due to a lack of action, now baked into the system. We would champion: – 70% of electricity to come from wind by 2030 – Allow building onshore wind farms – Carbon Tax on the most polluting industries of £250 per tonne of Carbon, raising to £500 per tonne. This will make carbon emissions bad for business. – Supporting community green energy projects – Cancel recent fossil fuel licences such as for Rosebank and stop all new fossil fuel extraction projects in the UK. – Remove all oil and gas subsidies. – Stop fossil fuel projects like Hynet that produce Grey/Blue Hydrogen.

Labour Party, Sam Dixon

Yes, it was the Labour Party who first set legally binding carbon reduction targets with the Climate Change Act in 2008. I’m proud that Ed Miliband, who as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change brought in that act, is leading Labour’s mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower. We would establish Great British Energy to ensure the Government has the power to put us on track to meet our net-zero goals while ensuring the transition is just, cutting energy bills for UK residents.

Question 2. The UK has some of the coldest and costliest homes to heat in Europe. Draughty homes waste energy and money and are causing serious impacts on people’s health, costing the NHS tens of billions. Would you commit to a comprehensive street-by-street home insulation programme to cut bills and emissions, and support the NHS?

Conservative Party, Simon Eardley

Improving energy efficiency in homes is clearly an important priority on many levels as the question outlines and needs to be prioritised. Some progress has been made, not least through the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) which was launched in 2023. This scheme is designed to help households across the UK insulate their homes, making them more energy efficient and reducing energy bills. A budget of £1 billion was allocated with an aspiration to support around 300,000 households by 2026, with a focus on providing various types of insulation, including cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, and heating controls. Is this ambitious enough? It can and should go further. I would support an expansion of such schemes but this must always be done in a financially responsible way – ‘government money’ is actually ‘taxpayers money’ and a catch all ‘street-by-street’ home insulation programme is rather broad brush. Why shouldn’t someone who can afford to undertake such works to their own homes do so, rather than ‘government’ stepping in? I’d like to see a little more nuance in the programme suggested here, but I don’t oppose the important principle that sits behind it. An alternative approach, to save households money on their bills, improve energy security, and tackle energy waste, could be the introduction of new incentives to encourage home energy efficiency improvements. These are particularly needed in the owner-occupier and private rented sectors, which are not well covered by existing government grant schemes. Research suggests that households in an average property with an EPC rating of D paid £235 per year more than band C properties, showing the potential of energy efficiency to cut people’s bills and ease the cost of living. Tax incentives are voluntary for households, go with the grain of consumer behaviour, and involve less administration than complex government grant schemes.

Green Party, Nick Brown

If elected I will push for a local-authority-led, street-by-street retrofit programme to insulate our homes, provide clean heat and start to adapt our buildings to more extreme climate conditions. This would mean investment of: £29bn over the next five years to insulate homes to an EPC B standard or above as part of a ten-year programme. £4bn over the next five years to insulate other buildings to a high standard £9bn over the next five years for low-carbon heating systems (e.g. heat pumps) for homes and other buildings This would stop peoples home getting damp and mouldy, reduce damp related health conditions such as asthma and eczema, allow people to live happy productive lives. It would also allow the NHS to save money, reduce sick days in children and adults, cut carbon emissions and reduce heating bills.

Labour Party, Sam Dixon

Labour recognises the urgent need for retrofitting housing to reduce energy costs and help reduce the strain on our NHS. This is why we plan to jumpstart our national Warm Homes Plan Britain urgently needs, working in partnership with business, local government and the third sector to insulate homes and make them warmer and cheaper to heat. We will work with partners to develop a workforce and supply chain plan – with good jobs for plumbers, electricians, fitters, and engineers in every region – and immediately support schemes where there is existing capacity and which offer value for money.

Question 3. The environment around us is in decline – forests are being cut down, pollinators are dying, soils and waters are leached of nutrients and loaded with pollutants – and it’s now impacting our health. How will you ensure fresh air, clean water and access to green spaces?

Conservative Party, Simon Eardley

Improving the environment and reversing the decline alluded to in this question is one of my passions. I don’t just talk about it either, I’ve taken action myself to do my bit locally, even if these feel at times like a ‘drop in the ocean.’ When I was elected as a councillor in 2019, at my first council meeting I backed our local declaration of a Climate Emergency and have been part of the team that have developed plans ever since to implement steps to deliver net zero in this borough of Cheshire West and Chester. I further enhance this emphasis by being the Conservative spokesman on the council for such matters and holding local decision makers to account on their actual delivery of plans and targets. I work ‘cross-party’ on this as far as I can – it is too important to let party politics get in the way of action. Other support I have given has included: – Being one of the founders of the original ‘Straw Free Chester’ campaign which has been built upon substantially since it was started now as ‘Plastic Free Cheshire’ and other places – Planting trees and hedges in the ward where I am a councillor (and beyond) – Supporting the project to deliver a new ‘Chester Wetland Centre’ which is in my council ward (in part, at least) – Pressing the local council to bring forward a more environmentally sensitive grassland and wildflower strategy and urging them to implement it as soon as possible (supporting the planting of wildflowers in my own ward with actual cash resources) – Resisting inappropriate development in the greenbelt to protect our vital green spaces around the area – Being part of the original council committee that undertook a thorough review of water quality issues in the River Dee which led to the application for bathing water status for our iconic river (I am committed to continuing to support that cause) – Removing litter on an almost weekly basis from the streets of the council ward I represent and elsewhere, – Backing local initiatives such as numerous Friends of the Earth and Eco Communities campaigns – Supporting the last two Active Travel Festivals in Chester (backed with the resources available to me as a councillor) – Trying to put extra resources into the local council budget to improve Public Right of Way routes which are vital resources for walking and recreation locally – Proposing a motion at a Council meeting in May 2024 focused on the importance of peatlands and peatland restoration in the borough (with cross-party support). And more – this really matters to me. In terms of some specific more ‘national approaches’ on these issues, I support: – The requirement that water companies continue to invest substantially into environmental improvements to stop discharges (beyond the £56 billion that has already happened) – The fact that we’ve increased the monitoring of storm overflows in England from 7% to 100% (more than any other nation in the UK) – The introduction of unannounced water company inspections (which have been quadrupled in recent times) which will mean 4,000 a year by April 2025 and then to 10,000 a year from April 2026 – The banning of bonuses for bosses of water that have committed criminal breaches – The introduction of unlimited penalties for environmental breaches and giving the regulators of water companies more powers – the Conservatives have already scrapped the cap on civil penalties – Continuation of the Defra ‘Trees for Climate’ programme (which the Mersey Forest locally has done so much to deliver – a scheme worth over £800 million and has seen real progress on tree planting across the UK – The provisions already contained within the landmark Environment Act which places much greater emphasis on nature in the management of land and in other areas. The passage of this Act in 2021 marked a watershed for legal protections on nature, setting binding targets to improve water quality, tackle air pollution, and reduce waste. I am proud to be a member of the ‘Conservative Environment Network’ (CEN) which is the independent forum for conservatives in the UK and around the world who support net zero, nature restoration, and resource security. My commitment to this focus is unwavering and whilst it may not always be completely in tune with the positions that Friends of the Earth take, my sincerity on these matters is genuine and I hope in evidence!

Green Party, Nick Brown

I have won a number of awards for my work on restoring the natural environment through my role as a teacher. If elected I would ensure that this remains a key focus of mine. – Introduce a new Rights of Nature Act, giving rights to nature itself. – End the scandal of sewage pouring into our rivers and seas by taking the water companies back into public ownership. – Extend people’s access to green space and waterways close to where they live with a new English Right to Roam Act. – Set aside 30% of our land and seas by 2030 in which nature will receive the highest priority and protection. – A new Clean Air (Human Rights) Act, giving everyone the right to breathe clean air. As a Beekeeper I would also fight for an immediate end to the emergency authorisation of bee-killing pesticides.

Labour Party, Sam Dixon

Tackling Environmental issues has been one of my top priorities in my time as the Member of Parliament for the City of Chester. I have been active in working with local stakeholders, including water companies to tackle the issue of sewage dumping in the River Dee. I’d encourage residents to look at my record in Hansard, I have spoken out on several issues relating to the biodiversity and nature crises. I would actively work to support Labour’s plan for nature. In this election we have pledged to promote regenerative farming to ensure nature’s recovery and food security, putting an end to the use of bee-killing pesticides, and improving people’s access to green space by embedding nature into the planning system.

Question 4. How would you ensure the UK plays its part in global efforts to tackle the climate and nature crises? Would you support a new law preventing corporations committing environmental and human rights abuses in their supply chains?

Conservative Party, Simon Eardley

The UK has played an important role to play in global efforts to tackle the climate and nature crises already, but I recognise there remains more to do. This is a ‘whole world problem’ and whilst I welcome the steps we have taken as a country – we are a respected voice around the world to lead and act – the difference we can make is tempered by the response of others. Hundreds of ‘centre-right’ politicians around the world (50 legislators from over 40 countries supported by organisations like CEN) have made a strong climate declaration and I associate myself with that firmly. We know that we must collectively do much more to combat the threat of climate change at the speed and scale required to achieve this. We have a duty to act urgently to cut greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade, to unlock climate finance for developing countries, and to achieve net zero global emissions by the middle of this century. I believe we must do this in a way that boosts growth and job opportunities in our own communities, and that spreads prosperity and alleviates poverty across the world. As the first major economy in the world to commit to net zero by 2050, we have demonstrated what positive action can do – this is enshrined in our domestic law. A proud achievement but we can’t stop there. As a ‘rich country’, we have a responsibility to support developing countries in their climate adaptation and mitigation efforts through financial and technical assistance. And we have an obligation to be the most active we possibly can be in terms of participating in and supporting global initiatives aimed at addressing climate change and biodiversity loss, such as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Consumers and others take much more notice today of the ‘Environmental, Social and Governance’, standards that companies look to follow, and rightly so. I make my own ‘buying decisions’ with a view to these standards and seek to act responsibly in the individual decisions I take. My concern about a new law preventing corporations committing environmental and human rights abuses in their supply chains is the subjective nature of it. Who would be the arbiter of such ‘human rights abuses’? There are several instances in the world just now where some people consider human rights abuses taking place and others do not. I would not, for example, be in favour of boycotting Israel, in whatever form this might take, in a blanket way owing to the current situation in Gaza, as some have called for.

Green Party, Nick Brown

Of course. By introducing a new Rights of Nature Act, legal rights would be given to nature it’s self. Any industry or individual that commits harm to that body would be accountable to the law. In recognition of the importance of supporting countries in the Global South to decarbonise and reduce their exposure to exploitation from corporations, boost their economies and build resilience to increasingly severe storms, floods and extreme heat, I would push for the UK to increase international aid to 1% of gross national income (GNI) by 2033. In addition to this increase in overseas aid I would push to increase climate finance for the Global South to 1.5% of GNI by 2033, with an additional contribution to a newly established Loss and Damage Fund.

Labour Party, Sam Dixon

The Labour Party recognises the global nature of the climate crisis and the urgent need to work with international partners, showing the leadership on climate needed to solve this. In our manifesto we state that: “We cannot address the urgency of the climate and nature crisis without co-ordinated global action. A failure to act will cause environmental devastation, fuelling displacement, conflict and famine. By being climate leaders at home, including meeting our agreed targets, Labour will restore the strong global leadership needed to tackle the climate crisis.” The last Labour Government introduced the Human Rights Act and introduced further environmental protection. I would support measures to reduce environmental harms and human rights abuses.