The General Election for the UK is edging closer, and the main parties are making their final attempts to gain votes. There are several issues that will be of very real concern to the electorate and many of these will matter significantly in terms of the longer-term future.
One such critical area is the environment and sustainable economic strategy. To assess the relative standings of different policy platforms relating to environmental issues two leading environmental organisations, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace came together to rank the main political parties’ manifestos ahead of polling day on 4 July, 2024. The aim was to introduce transparency for the electorate when it comes to environmental and ecological pledges.
This reveals that Labour scores 4-times higher than the Conservatives. However, it is the Green Party and Liberal Democrats that claim first and second place respectively.
The Green Party leads with a score of 39 out of a possible 40 points. This party is followed by the Liberal Democrats on 31.5. Labour scores 20.5, while the Conservatives take a paltry 5 points.
To produce the scores, the four main political parties were scored against a set of 40 policy recommendations compiled by Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace. Minor parties, like Reform and TUSC were not evaluated.
The outcome was:
Climate and energy
- Labour: 6.5
- Conservative: 1.5
- Liberal Democrat: 6.5
- Green Party: 10
Nature and environment
- Labour: 5
- Conservative: 1.5
- Liberal Democrat: 7
- Green: 10
Homes and transport
- Labour: 4.5
- Conservative: 1.5
- Liberal Democrat: 8.5
- Green: 9
Justice and democracy
- Labour: 4.5
- Conservative: 0.5
- Liberal Democrat: 9.5
- Green: 10
While Labour is most likely to win, the party’s environmental agenda is modest. The report notes that “Labour is seriously hampered by its commitment to strict fiscal rules, leaving the party without the necessary room to borrow big and invest in our future.”
On a positive side, Labour has declared the ambition to achieve a zero-carbon power system by 2030 (which will be very challenging) and an end to granting new oil and gas licenses. On the negative side, there is no commitment to establish a plastic production reduction target and the party avoids committing to curbing aviation emissions.
The Conservative and Unionist Party appears to be in a worse-position and the report indicates “Conservatives lack serious policies to reverse the environmental decline and avert the nature crisis.” There are no significant environmental policies at all put forward in the party’s manifesto.
The Liberal Democrats are bolder than Labour, calling for a reform of the water companies that pour sewage into aquatic habitats and they also promise to plant 60 million trees a year. The Party also provided detailed feedback to the campaign organisations following the survey. Labour’s response was muted, and the Conservative Party did not respond at all.
The Green Party has the most radical measures, including mass tree planting and funding for nature-friendly farming. The response from the Green Party to the report was by far the most detailed.
Both the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party are seeking to introduce a new duty of care for the environment. Even then, making roads will be challenging and whichever party wis, climate change will continue to be a huge focus.
