Fleur Anderson MP Labour MP for Putney, Roehampton & Southfields
Climate Action
The Labour Party and I are committed to taking urgent action to address the interlinking climate, environmental and energy crises. We will continue to press the Government to take action to tackle these interlinking crises and will continue to develop policies which a future Labour Government to implement.
Please see below some of the policies the Labour Party has announced so far. More details and policies will be announced in the coming months and in the next manifesto.
My Actions to Address the Climate and Environmental Crises:
Putney Environment Commission:
Taking action on the Climate Emergency was one of the reasons I became an MP and one of the first things I did was to set up the Putney Environment Commission. This is a group of local people wanting to take action locally, nationally and internationally. We have had several meetings and ran the Clean Air Fair last September. Please email me if you would like to link to join the Environment Commission WhatsApp Group.
First zero emission bus fleet to Putney:
I am passionate about tackling air pollution. Putney High Street is part of the A219, which is the most polluted road in the country. People in Putney should not be breathing dirty air, so I successfully lobbied City Hall to ensure that when rolling out their zero emission buses, Putney would get them first.
Wet wipes Campaign:
I am currently leading a national campaign to ban plastics in wet wipes, involving a parliamentary bill and widespread coverage in the national press. Addressing this issue is crucial because whether wet wipes are flushed or binned, the plastic in them enters the environment and causes huge levels of environmental damage. You can find more information about my campaign here: https://www.fleuranderson.co.uk/ban-plastic-in-wet-wipes/
The campaign has cross-party support and the support of environmental organisations and it has have had some good successes. Boots and Tesco have banned wet wipes containing plastic from their stores and the Government has said it will ban plastic in wet wipes but hasn’t said when this will come into force. I am currently waiting for the Government to publish the results of its consultation on a ban, and I will continue the campaign until we get the ban implemented.
COP Climate Summits:
I attended COP28 as part of a delegation of 10 MPs who have been chosen to attend due to our work on climate and the environment. One of the areas I led on in advance of COP28 was organising a briefing for UK MPs by Aid Agencies and NGOs.
I also spoke in the COP28 debate in advance of the summit where I raised many environmental and climate issues with the Government, such as the need for an international agreement for no new fossil fuels, and the promised $100 billion in climate finance annually to developing countries.
I previously handed 25,000 climate messages from the UK public to 10 Downing Street to urge the Government to act at COP27 to ensure everyone has clean water they can rely on to protect themselves against the impacts of extreme weather, wherever they live. Please see details of this in the link below:
https://www.wateraid.org/uk/media/wateraid-and-celebrities-call-on-the-government-to-prioritise-clean-water-for-people-living
Speeches and Oral Questions:
Please see below some speeches and oral questions I have carried out regarding the climate and environmental crises.
I recently asked a question about nutrient neutrality in the House of Commons chamber.
I spoke in the summer adjournment debate and spoke about Putney Environment Commission and the 18 areas, highlighted by the Climate Change Committee, where the Conservative Government are failing on energy and climate:
I spoke in the debate on Debt in Africa and raised the importance of climate finance and climate action.
I spoke in the debate on Plastic Pollution in the Ocean:
In a recent debate following the Kings Speech I raised my disappointment at the lack of legislation in the King’s Speech to move the UK towards a net zero green future.
Campaign against Heathrow Expansion:
I am a proud campaigner against the Heathrow expansion because in our constituency, we feel a direct impact of the Governments lack of climate action. We live under a major global flight path, so we know what it is like to have thousands of tonnes of carbon particulates dumped on us every day from above, and to have to suffer the noise from the aircraft. Please see a link below to a page on my website containing updates on the campaign.
https://www.fleuranderson.co.uk/opposing-the-expansion-of-heathrow-airport/
Environment Bill:
I served on the Bill Committee for the Environment Bill during which I pushed the Government to adopt more robust protections for the environment. The Environment Bill has been the Government’s flagship Environment Bill – they won’t pass another – but was a huge missed opportunity to take real action. I was on the Bill Committee of 17 MPs and proposed nearly 200 amendments. All of these were defeated by the Conservative members. This demonstrates the Governments complete lack of urgency and seriousness in its approach to the climate and environmental crises. I spoke on this Bill 15 times, you can see my speeches online on many different aspects of the Bill which should have been stronger or which are just missing. Here was my last speech on the Environment Bill:
Green Homes Grant:
I was leading a campaign to reform and bring back the Green Homes Grant. Please see a letter I previously wrote to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy regarding this campaign below, and oral question I asked in the House of Commons Chamber:
- https://www.fleuranderson.co.uk/2021/09/24/letter-green-homes-grant/
- https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2022-01-19/debates/2CD835A5-0C92-4F7C-9434-A29F3049F11A/OralAnswersToQuestions#contribution-0CD28AB4-C9D1-4801-9C84-B46B1EF5B292
Resilience:
In my previous role as Shadow Paymaster General, I carried out extensive work aiming to improve the UK’s resilience to climate change. Please see an oral question I asked regarding this below:
Written Parliamentary Questions:
I have asked many written parliamentary questions about the climate and environmental crises. Please see some recent written questions below.
- https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-04-28/183275
- https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-03-27/174456
- https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-01-15/9670
- https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-03-23/172517
- https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-02-17/147396
- https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-12-18/7426
