Labour candidate for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan has endorsed plans to tackle the climate crisis, accelerate to net zero and deliver green prosperity for Portsmouth at the upcoming election.
The climate crisis is the greatest long-term global challenge that we face and has been a top priority for Mr Morgan since he’s been elected.
Stephen Morgan led the Labour Group locally in declaring a climate change emergency in Portsmouth, brought the Shadow Environment Secretary to Portsmouth to see the strength of feeling for environmental issues locally, and voted to declare a climate change emergency in Parliament.
At this election, the Labour candidate is backing tough plans to make Britain a clean energy superpower, protect nature and tackle the climate crisis.
You can read about Stephen Morgan’s long track record of campaigning to tackle the climate crisis and Labour’s plans in more detail below:
Tackling the sewage scandal
Stephen Morgan has relentlessly campaigned to stop the Tory sewage scandal including by launching a petition, signed by over 1000 Portsmouth people to Stop the Sewage. You can sign the pledge here
Stephen backs tough plans to stop the bonuses, put sewage-dumping water companies in special measures and protect Portsmouth’s waters.
You can read about the Labour candidate’s long track record of campaigning to stop the sewage and Labour’s plans in more detail here
Clean power
Stephen has endorsed plans to harness clean energy, double onshore wind, triple solar power, and quadruple offshore wind by 2030.
In Parliament Stephen Morgan voted against the Conservative’s Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill which aimed to max out North Sea oil and gas supplies, despite UK commitments to transition away from fossil fuels and to cut emissions to net zero by 2050.
Labour will not issue new licences to explore new oil and gas fields because they will not take a penny off bills and will only accelerate the worsening climate crisis. In addition, the party will not grant new coal licences and will ban fracking for good.
Stephen Morgan also backed the party’s pledge to invest in carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and marine energy, and ensure we have the long-term energy storage our country needs. To support investment in this plan, Labour will close the loopholes in the windfall tax on oil and gas companies.
Protecting nature
The climate crisis has accelerated the nature crisis. Whilst Britain enjoys remarkable natural beauty, the Conservatives have left Britain one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.
That is why Stephen Morgan has pledged to deliver for nature, taking action to meet our Environment Act targets, and will work in partnership with civil society, communities and business to restore and protect our natural world.
Mr Morgan has a long track record of prioritising protecting nature in Parliament and through visiting schools to discuss pressing issues including reducing waste by moving to a circular economy and tackling plastic pollution.
As part of Labour’s plans to improve responsible access to nature, the party will create nine new National River Walks, one in each region of England, and establish three new National Forests in England, whilst planting millions of trees and creating new woodlands.
Switching on Great British Energy
To drive forward investment in clean, home-grown energy production, Labour will create a new publicly-owned company, Great British Energy.
Mr Morgan said that Great British Energy will partner with energy companies, local authorities, and co-operatives to install thousands of clean power projects, through a combination of onshore wind, solar, and hydropower projects.
Accelerating to net zero
Stephen Morgan backed plans in Labour’s manifesto to accelerate the country’s route to net zero including by ensuring the institutional framework for policy making reflects our commitments to reach net zero and meet our carbon budgets.
The party has also pledged to reverse the Conservatives’ decision to prevent the Bank of England giving due consideration to climate change in its mandates and will introduce a carbon border adjustment mechanism to prevent countries from dumping lower-quality goods into British markets as we decarbonise.
Labour will also make the UK the green finance capital of the world, mandating UK-regulated financial institutions – including banks, asset managers, pension funds, and insurers – and FTSE 100 companies to develop and implement credible transition plans that align with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement.
Stronger animal welfare
Stephen Morgan has said Labour will ban trail hunting and the import of hunting trophies. The party will end puppy smuggling and farming, along with the use of snare traps. And will partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing.
Warm homes
To meet our meet our climate targets, Britain’s homes have to become more fuel efficient. Mr Morgan has said his party’s Warm Homes Plan will offer grants and low interest loans to support investment in insulation and other improvements such as solar panels, batteries and low carbon heating to cut bills.
The party will ensure homes in the private rented sector meet minimum energy efficiency standards by 2030.
Improving public transport
As Shadow Minister for Rail, and helping to set out Labour’s plans for public ownership of railways, Stephen knows only too well that shifting more trips to public transit is essential to curbing climate change.
Stephen Morgan has led on this issue, lobbying government for investment in green transport, co-leading a debate on active travel in Parliament to reduce vehicle emissions, and has long encouraged cycling around Portsmouth by promoting better infrastructure.
Labour will deliver better bus services across the country and has a plan to fix Britain’s railways by bringing them into public ownership here
Read more on Labour’s plans to tackle climate crisis, accelerate to net zero and deliver green prosperity for Portsmouth here
