Wera: Parliament Must Scrutinise Plans to Reach Net Zero

8 February 2021

Last week, whilst speaking in Parliament, Wera Hobhouse asked the Leader of the House – Jacob Rees-Mogg, MP for Northeast Somerset – to make time for MPs to debate Government plans to reach net zero.

Hobhouse argued that in the year when the UK was hosting the international climate conference, COP 26, it was vital that the UK set a global example by making the time for multiple debates on reaching net zero.

In response, Rees-Mogg stated that the Government wanted the UK to lead a “green industrial revolution” but failed to directly answer the question asked by Bath’s MP.

Following the exchange, Wera Hobhouse said:

“It is vitally important that Parliament has input into Government plans to reach net zero by 2050. Communities in Bath – and the wider country – are desperate for action from central Government on tackling this crisis, a climate emergency which has the potential to be even more disruptive than the Pandemic has been.”

“I asked Jacob Rees-Mogg to engage with me, and other MPs, in this important discussion, and instead of respecting that question he spent five minutes repeating Government propaganda. On top of this, he refused to answer the question of whether Parliamentary debates would be scheduled.”

“When it comes to the climate, this Government says the right things, but we need policies, not warm words. We need a credible plan for climate action; a strategy that will protect the most vulnerable and smooth out the inequalities which many green policies risk making worse.”