The First 100 Days: Labour’s Track Record on the Climate and Environment

During the election, Greenpeace published a climate and nature checklist for all political parties. This briefing measures the Labour government’s progress against this over the first hundred days of being in power.

Commenting on the first 100 days, Greenpeace UK’s Co-Executive Director Areeba Hamid said:

“Keir Starmer’s government has got off to a strong start despite some mis-steps along the way. Within days it put wind in the sails of onshore windfarms, boosted budgets for renewables and stepped back from the last government’s attempts to ‘max out’ the North Sea and open a new coal mine. The Chancellor’s Budget will be a key test of whether it can unlock the investment needed to transform the UK into a clean energy superpower, make buses and trains affordable and provide training for the jobs of tomorrow. 

“The UK has sought to reclaim some of its leadership on climate and nature on the world stage, but several key tests wait just around the corner. Key appointments and promising words from the Foreign Secretary will need to be transformed into action – not least by coming up with a real plan for protecting Britain’s wild places and ratifying the Global Ocean Treaty.

“This government has shown it’s willing to be tougher on water companies that continue to pollute our seas and waterways, although there remains more to do. And it now needs to get tough on those other serial polluters – the fossil fuel companies that have reneged on climate action while running up record profits. Taxing these companies properly is the key to supporting communities at home and abroad that are already suffering flooding, wildfires and storms. Accelerating climate impacts like the devastating hurricanes in the US, and our disappearing landscapes and wildlife, all demand bold action from a government with the courage to face down vested interests and deliver the change people voted for.”

“There is huge potential still to unlock money for jobs, lower people’s bills and reign in fossil fuel and agribusiness companies. The solutions are just waiting to be implemented.”