That this House recognises the harm caused to both human health and the environment by the use of pesticides such as glyphosate in our villages, towns, cities and public spaces; notes that glyphosate was designated as probably carcinogenic to humans by the World Health Organisation in 2015, is increasingly being linked to Parkinson’s, and can be toxic to wildlife including bees; further notes that overuse of pesticides in towns and cities is destroying areas that wildlife, including birds, insects, bees and hedgehogs, rely on for food and shelter, and that pesticides run off hard surfaces such as pavements, thereby contaminating water courses and harming aquatic life; commends the more than 100 local authorities across the UK that have either ended their use of pesticides or taken significant steps towards doing so despite limited funds and resources, including by pursuing manual methods such as hand weeding and strimming, new technologies like hot foam and mechanical brushes, and by embracing greener public spaces which benefit both human wellbeing and wildlife; further recognises the importance of ensuring that infrastructure and public spaces remain accessible to all users, including those with accessibility needs; therefore urges local authorities to consult with local disability stakeholders regarding their transition to non-chemical alternatives for weed control; and calls for legislation to be introduced to implement a national phase-out of all pesticide use in public areas under local authority control as has been done in France and Luxembourg.

That this House recognises the harm caused to both human health and the environment by the use of pesticides such as glyphosate in our villages, towns, cities and public spaces; notes that glyphosate was designated as probably carcinogenic to humans by the World Health Organisation in 2015, is increasingly being...

That this House condemns the mismanagement and underinvestment which led to untreated sewage being discharged into English waterways for more than 3.6 million hours in 2023; notes that water companies in England have incurred debts of more than £64 billion and paid out £78 billion in dividends since they were privatised debt-free in 1989; further notes that water companies paid out £1.4 billion in dividends in 2022, even as 11 of them were fined in the same year for missing performance targets; recognises that climate change is making flooding and droughts more frequent and more severe, necessitating changes to the way we manage our water system in order to build resilience; believes that a Government bailout of Thames Water would send a dangerous signal to other utility companies that reckless decisions carry no private risk; urges Ofwat to reject Thames Water’s request to be allowed to increase bills and limit fines to protect its finances, which would reward mismanagement at the expense of customers and the public; further believes that private for-profit ownership is not an appropriate model for water, as an essential utility where no meaningful competition is possible; calls on the Government to put Thames Water into special administration and to transfer its assets and functions to a publicly-owned company; and further calls for all the English water companies to be brought into public ownership so that our water network can be managed for the benefit of all citizens.

That this House condemns the mismanagement and underinvestment which led to untreated sewage being discharged into English waterways for more than 3.6 million hours in 2023; notes that water companies in England have incurred debts of more than £64 billion and paid out £78 billion in dividends since they were...

That this House notes the huge cost of private rents in England and increase in private rents since private tenancies were deregulated and section 21 no-fault evictions were introduced under the Housing Act 1988; recognises the challenges with accurately estimating average private rents but further notes historical data points to an average £410 per month rent across all private sector tenancies in 1990, in 2023 prices, and ONS data indicating the average private rent in England in February 2024 was £1,276 per month, suggesting roughly a threefold increase; is deeply concerned by the homelessness crisis and the 50% rise of homelessness in one year due to no-fault evictions and that English councils spent £1.7bn on temporary accommodation last year; further notes that the cost of private rented accommodation in England is higher and renters' rights weaker than in European countries with rent controls and more secure tenancies; calls on the Government to establish an independent Living Rent Commission tasked with consulting on and designing a national system of rent controls with local flexibility and to provide powers to local councils to control rents in high rent areas; believes rent controls must be implemented gradually and fairly alongside a suite of policies to give renters security of tenure and to address the housing supply crisis, including a mass programme of zero-carbon social homes; and further calls on the Government to follow the example of Scotland and other European countries by legislating for rent controls in the private rented sector.

That this House notes the huge cost of private rents in England and increase in private rents since private tenancies were deregulated and section 21 no-fault evictions were introduced under the Housing Act 1988; recognises the challenges with accurately estimating average private rents but further notes historical data points to...

This House commends the Researchers at Risk scheme instituted by the British Academy in partnership with the Council for At-Risk Academics and with support from the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society; notes that the scheme was funded primarily by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and is currently restricted to Ukrainian academics and their families; observes that every higher education institution in Gaza has been destroyed or severely damaged during the war waged by the Israeli government in the wake of the horrific terror attacks of 7 October 2023; deplores that an estimated 30,000 civilians have been killed in Gaza in this time, including historians, economists, scholars of English literature and language, poets, physicists, gynaecologists, political scientists, psychologists, surgeons and lawyers; believes the academic community in Gaza is currently one of the most at risk in the world; and therefore calls on the UK Government to provide specific protection by renewing the funding for the Researchers at Risk scheme and opening it to Palestinian academics immediately and without delay.

This House commends the Researchers at Risk scheme instituted by the British Academy in partnership with the Council for At-Risk Academics and with support from the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society; notes that the scheme was funded primarily by the Department for...

This House notes that it has been two years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and welcomes the existing sanctions against Russia, including those in relation to the sale of oil; further notes that, under the existing sanctions regime, the legal country-of-origin for a refined oil product, namely diesel, jet fuel or petrol, is considered to be the country in which it was refined from crude oil to a refined product; is concerned that this loophole means it remains legal to import fuels made using Russian crude, provided they have been refined elsewhere; is further concerned that in the 12 months since 5 December 2022 when the crude oil embargo was enforced, the loophole was worth £141 million to the Kremlin in direct tax revenues and that, in the summer of 2023, one in every 20 UK flights ran on jet fuel derived from Russian oil; welcomes moves in the US to close a similar refining loophole; supports the Government’s policy of imposing measures to weaken Russia’s economic and financial ability to wage war against the people of Ukraine; and therefore calls on the Government to take immediate steps to extend the current import ban to include refined petroleum products from any refinery that has processed Russian crude oil.

This House notes that it has been two years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and welcomes the existing sanctions against Russia, including those in relation to the sale of oil; further notes that, under the existing sanctions regime, the legal country-of-origin for a refined oil product, namely diesel, jet...

That this House notes that 15 February marks the anniversary of the death of Ella Roberta Adoo-Kissi Debrah who became the first person to have air pollution listed on her death certificate, and extends its deepest sympathies to her family; notes that air pollution is associated with conditions like asthma, heart disease and cancer, impacts mental health, and causes up to 43,000 premature deaths each year in the UK; believes that air pollution is a public health emergency; is concerned that children are particularly affected by dirty air and that the UK has one of the highest rates of asthmatic children across Europe, with one in eleven young people living with asthma; urges the Government to take urgent action to deliver clean air, including strengthening the air quality targets under the Environment Act 2021, including committing to reduce annual mean levels of PM2.5 to 10 µg/m3 in England by 2030; welcomes the introduction of the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill, known as Ella’s Law, which would enshrine the right to breathe clean air and require the Secretary of State to deliver this in England within five years with the possibility of limited postponements subject to strict conditions; notes that it responds to the UN resolution recognising the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment and has already undergone scrutiny in the House of Lords; and calls on the Government to support this Bill as a means to achieve clean air and prevent future deaths.

That this House notes that 15 February marks the anniversary of the death of Ella Roberta Adoo-Kissi Debrah who became the first person to have air pollution listed on her death certificate, and extends its deepest sympathies to her family; notes that air pollution is associated with conditions like asthma,...

That this House believes it is a national scandal that in 2022-23 almost 5,000 excess winter deaths were caused by people living in cold and damp homes; is deeply concerned that 6.5 million UK households are experiencing fuel poverty following the energy price cap rise in January 2024; urges the Government to provide emergency support for families struggling to pay their energy bills and to alleviate energy debt; notes that the private rented sector (PRS) has the least energy efficient homes of any tenure in the UK and that over a quarter of renting households live in fuel poverty; expresses alarm that the Government has scrapped the planned upgrade to Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for the PRS which, according to the Climate Change Committee, would save tenants £255 per year, even under so-called normal energy prices; calls on the Government to reverse this decision and require private landlords to bring their properties up to EPC C by 2028; further notes that, according to National Energy Action, introducing effective regulation for landlords would lead to an £8 billion reduction in the central investment required to meet the target for all fuel poor households in England to reach EPC C by 2030; observes that 80% of landlords are in favour of stricter energy efficiency standards; and further believes that improving the UK’s leaky housing stock would create numerous benefits for public health, the economy and the climate, whilst delivering genuine energy security and ensuring that everyone has a warm, comfortable home.

That this House believes it is a national scandal that in 2022-23 almost 5,000 excess winter deaths were caused by people living in cold and damp homes; is deeply concerned that 6.5 million UK households are experiencing fuel poverty following the energy price cap rise in January 2024; urges the...

That this House expresses concern that 25 years after Jay Abatan was killed in a racist attack in Brighton his murderers have still not been brought to justice; notes that Sussex police have apologised to Jay Abatan's family for the multiple failures in the way the investigation was conducted, as revealed by subsequent reports into his murder; further notes that a 2010 inquest into Jay’s death returned a verdict of unlawful killing; considers that not all the overarching issues raised in the Macpherson report appear to have been addressed; recognises that Michael Abatan has been campaigning since 1999 for justice for his brother and that there are countless other families of the victims of racially motivated murders who have been let down by the criminal justice system; calls on the IOPC to conduct an independent investigation into Sussex Police’s handling of Jay's death and for a different police force to take over the investigation; and further calls on the Secretary of State for the Home Department to establish and chair a Race Equality Steering Group to help ensure oversight of progress in addressing race equality across all police forces in England and Wales, as recommended by the Home Affairs Select Committee.

That this House expresses concern that 25 years after Jay Abatan was killed in a racist attack in Brighton his murderers have still not been brought to justice; notes that Sussex police have apologised to Jay Abatan's family for the multiple failures in the way the investigation was conducted, as...

That this House notes that around 2 million council homes in England have been sold off to private individuals well below market value since the inception of the Right to Buy in 1980; further notes these homes were built using public money to create an essential collective asset fundamental to the post World War Two settlement; believes Right to Buy has been abused by property speculators and has decimated precious social housing stock as successive governments failed to replace the social homes being lost; supports the 2022 UK Housing Review conclusion that Right to Buy was a strategic failure; is concerned that the state is now giving billions in housing benefit to private landlords that should be invested in building new council housing; recognises the link between Right to Buy and the harmful commodification of housing, housing inequality and shortages for people on low incomes, the current homelessness crisis and record rates of children living in temporary accommodation; further believes that council housing needs to be provided and safeguarded for the housing needs and wellbeing of current and future generations; welcomes the abolition of Right to Buy in Scotland and Wales; and calls on the Government to protect and strengthen social housing by following suit in England, starting with an immediate suspension of all discounts, at the same time as investing in an ambitious programme to build new council homes.

That this House notes that around 2 million council homes in England have been sold off to private individuals well below market value since the inception of the Right to Buy in 1980; further notes these homes were built using public money to create an essential collective asset fundamental to...

This House notes that around 2 million council homes in England have been sold off to private individuals well below market value since the inception of the Right to Buy in 1980; further notes these homes were built using public money to create an essential collective asset fundamental to the post WWII settlement; believes Right to Buy has been abused by property speculators and has decimated precious social housing stock as successive governments failed to replace the social homes being lost; supports the 2022 UK Housing Review conclusion that Right to Buy was a strategic failure; is concerned that the state is now giving billions in housing benefit to private landlords that should be invested in building new council housing; recognises the link between Right to Buy and national house price bubbles, the harmful commodification of housing, housing inequality and shortages for people on low incomes, the current homelessness crisis and record rates of children living in temporary accommodation; further believes that council housing needs to be provided and safeguarded for the housing needs and wellbeing of current and future generations; welcomes the abolition of Right to Buy in Scotland and Wales; and calls on the Government to protect and strengthen social housing by following suit in England, at the same time as investing in an ambitious programme to build new council homes.

This House notes that around 2 million council homes in England have been sold off to private individuals well below market value since the inception of the Right to Buy in 1980; further notes these homes were built using public money to create an essential collective asset fundamental to the...

That this House notes that COP28 in Dubai marks a critical moment in efforts to secure a liveable future; expresses profound alarm that, according to the UN, governments plan to produce double the amount of fossil fuels in 2030 than is consistent with limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees and that current pledges under the Paris Agreement would lead to a 2.5-2.9°C temperature rise this century; welcomes the Prime Minister's attendance at COP28 in person and calls on him to work with other leaders to deliver an agreement on the urgent and just phase-out of all fossil fuels in recognition of the end of the fossil fuel era; calls on the UK to back an ambitious political deal in response to the Global Stocktake; further notes the damaging impact of the delayed delivery of the $100bn climate finance pledge and the UK’s changes to its climate finance definitions on trust between countries and efforts to achieve the Paris Agreement goals; urges the Government to deliver its existing climate finance commitments in full, ensure funding is new and additional and support efforts to increase climate finance at COP28, laying the ground work for agreement of the New Collective Quantified Goal; notes that the full operationalisation of a properly resourced Loss and Damage Finance Fund will be the litmus test of success at COP28; and further urges the UK to support this goal and to contribute by providing grant-based funds which are additional to existing ODA and climate finance commitments.

That this House notes that COP28 in Dubai marks a critical moment in efforts to secure a liveable future; expresses profound alarm that, according to the UN, governments plan to produce double the amount of fossil fuels in 2030 than is consistent with limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees and...

That this House celebrates the role the United Kingdom has played in helping to shape the international rules based order, including its contribution to the drafting and early ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in the aftermath of the horrors of WWII; notes the recent judgment of the Supreme Court that the UK could breach its obligations under the ECHR, and other international law such as the Refugee Convention, UN Convention Against Torture, UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as domestic law, by sending refugees to Rwanda; rejects in principle the use of emergency legislation to ride roughshod over the judgment of the UK’s highest domestic court; further notes such a move would contravene the rule of law and undermine the separation of powers fundamental to UK democracy; considers any legislative proposals to disapply the Human Rights Act (HRA) and ECHR, and restrict judicial review and other legal safeguards would violate the principle of universality that rights belong to all; further considers that a country's safety is determined by the facts on the ground not by the passing of legislation or the signing of a treaty; acknowledges the positive role the ECHR and HRA play in the protection of human rights; and calls upon the Government to abandon its cruel, immoral and unworkable Rwanda plan and to re-establish the UK's good standing as a member of the ECHR and international community.

That this House celebrates the role the United Kingdom has played in helping to shape the international rules based order, including its contribution to the drafting and early ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in the aftermath of the horrors of WWII; notes the recent judgment of...

That this House expresses its profound concern about the Government’s failure to address the urgency of the climate and ecological emergency; is alarmed by escalating climate impacts and the diminishing remaining carbon budget for limiting global temperatures to 1.5 degrees; is dismayed by the recent approval of the Rosebank oil field, the contents of which would, if burned, produce more CO2 than the combined annual emissions of all 28 low-income countries in the world; condemns the Prime Minister’s rollback on delivering Net Zero which falsely pits measures to achieve our climate targets against tackling the cost of living crisis, creates uncertainty for businesses, will lead to increased costs for households, and further erodes the UK’s standing on the world stage; notes that according to the Climate Change Committee, the UK is unlikely to deliver its 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution and is off track to meet the Sixth Carbon Budget; calls on the Government to press for an agreement on the urgent and just phase out of all fossil fuels, as well as the operationalisation of a properly resourced Loss and Damage Finance Fund at COP28 in Dubai; and urges the Government to deliver the transformative action needed to meet the UK’s climate targets, reduce energy bills for the long-term, and regain the UK’s climate leadership, including a retrofit revolution to upgrade the UK’s leaky homes, unleashing cheap and abundant renewables, and putting an end to new oil and gas licences, alongside facilitating a Just Transition for workers and communities.

That this House expresses its profound concern about the Government’s failure to address the urgency of the climate and ecological emergency; is alarmed by escalating climate impacts and the diminishing remaining carbon budget for limiting global temperatures to 1.5 degrees; is dismayed by the recent approval of the Rosebank oil...

That this House is concerned that the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) will be held in the United Arab Emirates amid ongoing repression and human rights violations, and risks being used to greenwash and distract from the UAE’s appalling human rights records; notes the ongoing detention of 60 members of Emirati Civil Society sentenced in a mass trial over a decade ago; condemns the ongoing detention of Emirati blogger and human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor, who is being held in prolonged solitary confinement and denied adequate medical care, in violation of international human rights law and putting his life at risk; urges the Government to leverage its close relationship with the UAE to publicly and privately urge the UAE to take concrete steps to improve its human rights record in the lead up to the COP-28 summit; and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Ahmed Mansoor.

That this House is concerned that the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) will be held in the United Arab Emirates amid ongoing repression and human rights violations, and risks being used to greenwash and distract from the UAE’s appalling human rights records; notes the ongoing detention of 60 members of...

That this house notes that COP28, taking place between 30th Nov and 12th Dec 2023, marks a critical stage in the global effort to secure a liveable future; expresses alarm about escalating climate impacts, current commitments being vastly insufficient and governments planning to produce more than double the amount of fossil fuels in 2030 than is consistent with limiting global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees; urges the UK to advocate for the phase out of fossil fuels to be on the agenda at COP28 in recognition of the end of the fossil fuel era; welcomes that the Prime Minister will be attending COP28 in person and calls on him to work with other leaders to deliver an agreement on the urgent and just phase out of all fossil fuels; calls on the UK to back an ambitious political deal in response to the Global Stocktake at COP28; notes the damaging impact of the delayed delivery of the pledge of $100bn climate finance on trust between countries and achieving the Paris Agreement goals; further urges the Government to deliver its existing climate finance commitments in full, ensure funding is new and additional, and support efforts to increase climate finance at COP28, laying the ground work for the New Collective Quantified Goal to be agreed next year; and believes that COP28 must see the operationalising of a properly resourced Loss and Damage Finance Fund, that the UK should support this goal, and provide grant-based funds for addressing Loss and Damage.

That this house notes that COP28, taking place between 30th Nov and 12th Dec 2023, marks a critical stage in the global effort to secure a liveable future; expresses alarm about escalating climate impacts, current commitments being vastly insufficient and governments planning to produce more than double the amount of fossil fuels...

This House notes that Gatwick Airport is applying for a Development Consent Order to bring its emergency runway into regular use; considers that if granted this will de facto create a second runway at Gatwick without the appropriate public consultation and scrutiny required for such a major planning decision; further notes that this will lead to thousands of extra flights a year, along with more road-building to get freight and passengers to the airport; is aware that scientists have already found noise levels close to Gatwick above the recommendations by the World Health Organization and particle number concentrations in the air similar to those measured close to a highly trafficked road in central London; notes that the proposal will mean increased noise for residents close to the airport and under the flight path, alongside increased air and light pollution; recognises that expansion at Gatwick is incompatible with addressing the climate crisis; further recognises that 2022 analysis puts the estimated cost of cleaning up carbon emissions alone from Gatwick expansion at £9.1 billion, of which only 7% will be paid for by the aviation industry; urges the Government to listen to the advice of the Committee on Climate Change Chair that there should be no net airport expansion across the UK; and therefore calls on the Secretary of State for Transport to reject Gatwick Airport’s plans for a second runway.

This House notes that Gatwick Airport is applying for a Development Consent Order to bring its emergency runway into regular use; considers that if granted this will de facto create a second runway at Gatwick without the appropriate public consultation and scrutiny required for such a major planning decision; further...

That this House welcomes the call made by President Michael D Higgins of Ireland on 28 April 2023 at a reception for the Think-Tank for Action on Social Change to look beyond the current obsession with economic growth and rebalance economy, ecology and ethics; notes that this call is well-aligned with the aims of the European Parliament’s examination of the Beyond Growth agenda; further notes that such a call has far-reaching implications for the teaching and practice of economics in which the obsession with perpetual growth has left society blinkered to the ecological catastrophe we now face; agrees with President Higgins that an alternative paradigm of social economy within ecological responsibility is already within reach; further agrees that this new paradigm must now find its way onto the curriculum where economics is taught and into the board rooms and government ministries where economics is practised; and calls on the Government to match the ambition and leadership shown by the Irish President and the European Parliament by supporting the development of a post growth economics, conducting a review of the growth dependency of the economy and developing a comprehensive strategy to transition to a wellbeing economy.

That this House welcomes the call made by President Michael D Higgins of Ireland on 28 April 2023 at a reception for the Think-Tank for Action on Social Change to look beyond the current obsession with economic growth and rebalance economy, ecology and ethics; notes that this call is well-aligned...

That this House notes that 24 April marks the anniversary of the Kinder Scout mass trespass; acknowledges that this trespass united the campaign for access to the countryside and eventually contributed to the establishment of the UK’s first national parks through the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949; recognises the growing body of evidence demonstrating the importance of access to nature for physical and mental health; is concerned that people from ethnic minorities are less likely to live near green space and that one in three people in England cannot access nature near their home; is deeply concerned about nature’s decline, with 40 per cent of the UK’s species populations having declined since 1970, and believes that improving the public’s connection with the natural world is essential to its restoration; notes that the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 only provides access to eight per cent of English land and that the public can only access three per cent of rivers in England and Wales; acknowledges that legislation in Scotland provides a right of responsible access and that European countries including Norway and Sweden have a much greater right to roam; and calls on the Government to introduce legislation to extend the right to roam and to improve promotion of the countryside code, to deliver on the 25 Year Environment Plan goal to conserve and enhance the beauty of our natural environment, and make sure it can be enjoyed, used by and cared for by everyone.

That this House notes that 24 April marks the anniversary of the Kinder Scout mass trespass; acknowledges that this trespass united the campaign for access to the countryside and eventually contributed to the establishment of the UK’s first national parks through the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act...

That this House celebrates International Dark Sky Week 2023 between 15 and 22 April 2023 and the ongoing campaign to reduce levels of light pollution while promoting better quality, community-friendly lighting; recognises the impacts from poor lighting and increasing levels of light pollution on the natural world, human health, society and carbon emissions; is concerned that global levels of light pollution are increasing by 10 per cent every year, leading to a doubling of brightness of the night sky every eight years; therefore considers it necessary to take decisive action to reduce levels of light pollution; and urges the Government to recognise light as an environmental pollutant by setting light pollution targets as a measure to reduce levels and impact.

That this House celebrates International Dark Sky Week 2023 between 15 and 22 April 2023 and the ongoing campaign to reduce levels of light pollution while promoting better quality, community-friendly lighting; recognises the impacts from poor lighting and increasing levels of light pollution on the natural world, human health, society...

That this House believes that public toilets are essential social infrastructure, vital for public health and inclusion, and necessary for people with long term conditions, disabilities, young children, homeless people and others of all ages to get out and about; notes that toilet provision was discussed during the passage of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, with the Minister stating this was a fundamentally local issue; further notes that if central Government systematically strips funding so that Local Government has faced a 63% real terms budget reduction between 2010-11 and 2022-23 based on Treasury figures, this has an impact on services, and public toilet provision becomes a fundamentally national issue; welcomes the recent increase in core spending power in this year’s local government finance settlement but considers it wholly insufficient to counter the impact of a decade of drastic cuts on the future financial sustainability of councils on a cliff-edge; urges the Government to consider that people are starting to push for national legislation on provision of toilets out of desperation, because Ministers are washing their hands of their responsibilities to ensure local authorities can properly fund the local services they want to make available to their communities; and calls on Ministers to fully reverse the cuts to local government budgets since 2010 in order to enable the provision and restoration of vital local services.

That this House believes that public toilets are essential social infrastructure, vital for public health and inclusion, and necessary for people with long term conditions, disabilities, young children, homeless people and others of all ages to get out and about; notes that toilet provision was discussed during the passage of...