The UK general election has now concluded, with Keir Starmer elected as the new UK PM. This election provided a critical opportunity for campaigners, politicians, and voters alike to bring climate issues to the forefront of the political agenda. We knew that the MPs that make up the new parliament are pivotal in whether we can get back on track to restore nature and keep temperatures below 1.5° of warming, so we worked, alongside our supporting scientists, organisation, and you, our campaigners to stress the importance of climate and nature to all parliamentary candidates. To demonstrate there is a clear mandate from the electorate for more action on climate and nature, we generated a 6-week programme of direct calls to action online and via physical campaigning, hustings, and media to ensure we were too big to ignore.
And it worked, thanks to you!
As a result of YOUR efforts, more than 1,000 PPCs have voiced their support for the science-led Climate and Nature Bill. Parliamentary candidates, from Shetland to St Ives and from all major parties, have shown the campaign’s bipartisan nature, and the climate action mandate has never been clearer. This means more MPs than ever support the CAN Bill, with parties that support the Bill (Plaid, Green Party of England and Wales, Plaid Cymru) returning an increased number of MPs.
Following the election on the night of July 4th, an incredible 158 MPs, nearly one-quarter of the House of Commons, were elected and backed the CAN Bill. This sets an unparalleled foundation of support on the opening day of a new Parliamentary session – This is the moment to ensure parliament delivers for the country and commits to making the Climate and Nature Bill into law.
The election and the strong support were made possible because of you. We knew that elections provide a unique opportunity where constituents’ concerns and voices can shape the priority of a future government. To capitalise on this pivotal moment we created 650 constituency action pages, one for every constituency in the UK. These pages, as shown above, allowed constituents to sign an Open Letter calling upon these candidates to voice their support and show collective power by adding their voice to existing supporting businesses, charities, faith leaders, and councils and clearly demonstrated that a vote for climate-nature action is a vote winner. These pages also helped demonstrate which candidates backed the bill, helping know which candidates back the science-led plan to restore nature.
Thanks to each and every signature, business, faith leader, and candidate you backed the bill. This mandate will be pivotal in ensuring YOUR new MP knows that the people of YOUR constituency are calling for urgency to address the climate-nature crisis. Some key examples of the success of this strategy include Guildford where 277 voters signed and demonstrated they wanted action and South Devon where an astounding 14 local councils have voiced their support of the bill. In Walthamstow, ALL major party candidates have announced their support for the CAN Bill so the electorate knew THEIR new MP from whatever political party would champion science-led ambition on addressing nature loss.
The election results were groundbreaking for CAN Bill supporting parties with Green Party quadrupled the number of Green MPs in the next parliament session, Lib Dems having 70+ MPs elected, 5 CAN Bill supporting MPs from SNP, 4 CAN Bill supporting MPs from Plaid Cymru and 79 CAN Bill supporters from the Labour Party. This means we continue our cross party ambition with voices for the climate and nature bill on both sides of the house of commons showing a united front for action. YOU have been a relentless force for change in advocating for the CAN Bill and demonstrating that the climate crisis requires a cross-party, non-partisan consensus. Your support has helped elect 159 CAN Bill supporting candidates and sends a clear message that the new government must listen to the millions of voters who voted for candidates that support legislation informed by the most up to date science.
Disappointingly during the election, climate and nature was rarely at the forefront of televised debates however constituents used processes including election hustings to ensure they had affirmation from candidates in their constituents that they would act on the climate-nature crisis. Zero Hour alongside organisations like Parents for Future and CPRE: The Countryside Charity, organised our own Climate and Nature hustings in Stroud and London. Your enthusiastic attendance at these hustings demonstrated the growing demand for a joined-up approach from the country’s leadership to the environmental crisis. As a result of our campaigners’ tireless efforts, numerous candidates across the country responded to questions regarding their stance on the CAN Bill with resounding support – not just at our own hustings events, but also at those in Moray, Leeds, Arundel and South Downs, and Melksham!
During election husting in the PM’s constituency of Holborn and St. Pancras, over a hundred attendees filled the pews of St. Pancras New Church to make their voices heard ahead of the general election. Constituents submitted their questions to the candidates online, and one of the six selected inquired whether candidates were backing the Climate and Nature Bill. Candidates from the Green and Liberal Democrat parties, as well as Independent candidate Andrew Feinstein, proudly backed the bill. This support from prospective candidates echoed across election hustings: in Stroud, candidates from both the Green and the Labour Party backed the bill. In Leeds, Alex Sobel pledged his support from the Labour party. As did Melksham Green Party’s Catherine Read. Arundel and South Downs’ Climate Election hustings saw Liberal Democrat candidate Richard Allen and Green Party candidate Steve McAuliffe back the bill.
Your efforts have been pivotal to the success of the CAN Bill during the election period. As a result of the intense grassroots pressure throughout the General Election campaign period, we are now in a strong position to push the new Labour government to take the climate action that is needed – all because of you.
The fight does not stop here.
The first 100 days of a new government will be pivotal in demonstrating if the new government are acting with the urgency required to tackle the climate-nature crisis. We will ensure that we maximise the number of MPs backing the Climate and Nature Bill and do everything in our power to make the CAN Bill Law.
ARTICLE BY
Sarah Ali
Emma Do
Daniel Brown
Supporting MPs
Diane Abbott MP (Hackney North and Stoke Newington)
Debbie Abrahams MP (Oldham East and Saddleworth)
Tahir Ali MP (Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
Gideon Amos MP (Taunton and Wellington)
Fleur Anderson MP (Putney)
Tonia Antoniazzi MP (Gower)
Scott Arthur MP (Edinburgh South West)
Paula Barker MP (Liverpool Wavertree)
Apsana Begum MP (Poplar and Limehouse)
Alison Bennett MP (Mid Sussex)
Siân Berry MP (Brighton Pavilion)
Clive Betts MP (Sheffield South East)
Olivia Blake MP (Sheffield Hallam)
Alex Brewer MP (North East Hampshire)
Phil Brickell MP (Bolton West)
Jess Brown-Fuller MP (Chichester)
Julia Buckley MP (Shrewsbury)
Richard Burgon MP (Leeds East)
Dawn Butler MP (Brent East)
Ian Byrne MP (Liverpool West Derby)
Liam Byrne MP (Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Charlotte Cane MP (Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Dan Carden MP (Liverpool Walton)
Alistair Carmichael MP (Orkney and Shetland)
David Chadwick MP (Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Wendy Chamberlain MP (North East Fife)
Danny Chambers MP (Winchester)
Sarah Champion MP (Rotherham)
Bambos Charalambous MP (Southgate and Wood Green)
Ellie Chowns MP (North Herefordshire)
Chris Coghlan MP (Dorking and Horley)
Jacob Collier MP (Burton and Uttoxeter)
Victoria Collins MP (Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Daisy Cooper MP (St Albans)
Jeremy Corbyn MP (Islington North)
Stella Creasy MP (Walthamstow)
Ashley Dalton MP (West Lancashire)
Adam Dance MP (Yeovil)
Steve Darling MP (Torbay)
Ed Davey MP (Kingston and Surbiton)
Ann Davies MP (Caerfyrddin)
Ms De Cordova MP (Battersea)
Bobby Dean MP (Carshalton and Wallington)
Carla Denyer MP (Bristol Central)
Lee Dillon MP (Newbury)
Anna Dixon MP (Shipley)
Dave Doogan MP (Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Rosie Duffield MP (Canterbury)
Sarah Dyke MP (Glastonbury and Somerton)
Colum Eastwood MP (Foyle)
Clive Efford MP (Eltham and Chislehurst)
Maya Ellis MP (Ribble Valley)
Miatta Fahnbulleh MP (Peckham)
Tim Farron MP (Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Richard Foord MP (Honiton and Sidmouth)
Will Forster MP (Woking)
Zöe Franklin MP (Guildford)
Roger Gale MP (Herne Bay and Sandwich)
Barry Gardiner MP (Brent West)
Allison Gardner MP (Stoke-on-Trent South)
Andrew George MP (St Ives)
Sarah Gibson MP (Chippenham)
Olly Glover MP (Didcot and Wantage)
Tom Gordon MP (Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Georgia Gould MP (Queen’s Park and Maida Vale)
Sarah Green MP (Chesham and Amersham)
Lilian Greenwood MP (Nottingham South)
Andrew Gwynne MP (Gorton and Denton)
Louise Haigh MP (Sheffield Heeley)
Claire Hanna MP (Belfast South and Mid Down)
Monica Harding MP (Esher and Walton)
Emma Hardy MP (Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Helen Hayes MP (Dulwich and West Norwood)
Pippa Heylings MP (South Cambridgeshire)
Wera Hobhouse MP (Bath)
Rachel Hopkins MP (Luton South and South Bedfordshire)
Rupa Huq MP (Ealing Central and Acton)
Christine Jardine MP (Edinburgh West)
Liz Jarvis MP (Eastleigh)
Terry Jermy MP (South West Norfolk)
Kim Johnson MP (Liverpool Riverside)
Darren Jones MP (Bristol North West)
Clive Jones MP (Wokingham)
Mary Kelly Foy MP (City of Durham)
Afzal Khan MP (Manchester Rusholme)
Naushabah Khan MP (Gillingham and Rainham)
Jayne Kirkham MP (Truro and Falmouth)
Paul Kohler MP (Wimbledon)
Ben Lake MP (Ceredigion Preseli)
Chris Law MP (Dundee Central)
Graham Leadbitter MP (Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey)
Emma Lewell-Buck MP (South Shields)
Clive Lewis MP (Norwich South)
Seamus Logan MP (Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Rebecca Long-Bailey MP (Salford)
James MacCleary MP (Lewes)
Andy MacNae MP (Rossendale and Darwen)
Ben Maguire MP (North Cornwall)
Helen Maguire MP (Epsom and Ewell)
Mike Martin MP (Tunbridge Wells)
Rachael Maskell MP (York Central)
Brian Mathew MP (Melksham and Devizes)
Siobhain McDonagh MP (Mitcham and Morden)
John McDonnell MP (Hayes and Harlington)
John Milne MP (Horsham)
Navendu Mishra MP (Stockport)
Abtisam Mohamed MP (Sheffield Central)
Perran Moon MP (Camborne and Redruth)
Layla Moran MP (Oxford West and Abingdon)
Edward Morello MP (West Dorset)
Helen Morgan MP (North Shropshire)
Grahame Morris MP (Easington)
Tom Morrison MP (Cheadle)
Tessa Munt MP (Wells and Mendip Hills)
Ian Murray MP (Edinburgh South)
Charlotte Nichols MP (Warrington North)
Brendan O’Hara MP (Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber)
Sarah Olney MP (Richmond Park)
Chi Onwurah MP (Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Simon Opher MP (Stroud)
Kate Osamor MP (Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Kate Osborne MP (Jarrow and Gateshead East)
Tristan Osborne MP (Chatham and Aylesford)
Manuela Perteghella MP (Stratford-on-Avon)
Alasdair Pinkerton MP (Surrey Heath)
Lee Pitcher MP (Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme)
Richard Quigley MP (Isle of Wight West)
Adrian Ramsay MP (Waveney Valley)
Joshua Reynolds MP (Maidenhead)
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP (Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Tim Roca MP (Macclesfield)
Ian Roome MP (North Devon)
Roz Savage MP (South Cotswolds)
Liz Saville Roberts MP (Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Naz Shah MP (Bradford West)
Jim Shannon MP (Strangford)
Vikki Slade MP (Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Andy Slaughter MP (Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Lisa Smart MP (Hazel Grove)
Cat Smith MP (Lancaster and Wyre)
Alex Sobel MP (Leeds Central and Headingley)
Ian Sollom MP (St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Jamie Stone MP (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Will Stone MP (Swindon North)
Zarah Sultana MP (Coventry South)
Alison Taylor MP (Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Luke Taylor MP (Sutton and Cheam)
Cameron Thomas MP (Tewkesbury)
Jon Trickett MP (Normanton and Hemsworth)
Freddie Van Mierlo MP (Henley and Thame)
Caroline Voaden MP (South Devon)
Nadia Whittome MP (Nottingham East)
Max Wilkinson MP (Cheltenham)
Munira Wilson MP (Twickenham)
Steve Witherden MP (Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr)
Sean Woodcock MP (Banbury)
Mohammad Yasin MP (Bedford)
Claire Young MP (Thornbury and Yate)
