Rishi Sunak is intent on operating without any scrutiny - we won't let him

“I’m incandescent..there’s been no opportunity to scrutinise” this was Barry’s reaction to Rishi Sunak’s rolling back on key committments towards the goal of net zero. This is particulalry frustrating as it comes just after Parliament has broken up for Party Conference recess.

On the 21st of September 2023 Barry appeared on PoliticsJoe to air his frustration over Sunak’s dishonesty and environmental negligence.

On this show Barry announced that after calling on the Chair of the Enviornmental Audit Committee to reconvene, an informal session will be helf on Monday the 25th of September, despite it being recess, so as to properly scrutinise the government’s horrendous rolling back of green policies.

You can watch the full interview here.

“Why are the poorest people in our society having to subsidise those energy companies? It is simply wrong!”

On Friday the 8th of September, Barry was a guest on the Oh God What Now podcast to discuss crumbling schools and the government’s crumbling reputation.

“Every time it’s this generation of kids that have faced up to the problems created by this government.”

“We will only borrow to invest, we will not borrow to consume.”

Listen to the first episode here.

‘Thames Water are ignoring their own terrible record over sewage in London’

On the 6th of September 2023 the Evening Standard published an article by Barry Gardiner entitled: Thames Water are ignoring their own terrible record over sewage in London.

“From Becmead Avenue in Harrow all the way to the North Circular, Thames Water’s customers have been living next to an open sewer with the stench and the misery that entails.”

Read the full piece here.

The Government have thrown schools, children and parents into "chaos"

On the 4th of September 2023 Barry appeared on BBC News London to outline the “chaos” that the government have put schools in, on the issue of RAAC.

The Government received a “very serious” report from the National Audit Office back in June of this year, Barry points out, which identified hundreds of thousands of children at severe or critical risk.

The Government has had 8 weeks to take action on this, and they have only just decided to take action - this is “unacceptable”.

We are seeing the long term affects of austerity

UK school building programmes have been “systematically underfunded” by this Government, Barry told Salma El-Wardany on BBC Radio London on the 4th of September 2023.

Barry appeared on the show to discuss the aerated concrete (or RAAC) crisis, which has seen several schools closing buildings at risk of collapse, with many more potentially under threat.

Over the “past 13 years, this Government has skimped, tried to penny-pinch on the things that are most important in life” and now we are feeling the consequences, argued Barry.

Hundreds of students at London school forced from classrooms due to discovery of risky concrete

Barry Gardiner spoke to Ellen O'Dwyer of iNews on the issue of aerated concrete in schools.

“St Gregory’s Catholic Science College, in the borough of Brent, is trying “desperately” to get portacabins in place for the new term but help from the Department of Education has not been quick enough, Barry Gardiner, Labour MP for Brent North, said.

The school is among hundreds that have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in some of their buildings, a lightweight concrete, used between the 50s and mid-90s, that risks collapsing.”

Read the full article on the iNews website here.

The state of school buildings in the UK is "atrocious" and the Government won't take responsibility

On the 1st of September 2023 Barry spoke to Jumoké Fashola on her BBC Radio London Show to discuss the issue of areated concrete, or RAAC, in schools.

The maths block at St Gregory's Catholic Science College in Brent has been found to have RAAC and has therefore been closed. Thanks to the hard work of St Gregory’s and the local council, students will still be able to study their lessons, but not in the maths block.

Barry tabled a written question back in July asking the relevent Minister to provide the information of schools that are at risk of RAAC. The Minister’s response “batted away” the question, argued Barry, claiming that the Government has not “taken responsibility when they should have done.”

Nadine Dorries is right about one thing "levelling up has been discarded"

On the 27th of August 2023 Barry appeared on a GB News Panel hosted by Arlene Foster to discuss Nadine Dorries’ resignation and Labour’s tax policy.

“The Prime Minister really has a case to answer” in the wake of Dorries’ letter, argued Barry, as she levied several substantive policy critiques of Rishi Sunak.

Barry further argued that “if you’re going to tax people, put the emphasis on the wealthy, not on the poor” in a an attempt to alleviat the suffering caused by the cost of living crisis.

Why have the Tories failed so badly on illegal immigration?

On the 4th of August, Barry appeared on the Lee Anderson show to discuss immigration and shoplifting.

“The number of asylum seekers in 2010 was 22,000. Last year, it was 89,000. You've had 13 years to sort this problem out”, Barry argued, “why have you failed so badly?”.

The same goes for shoplifiting. Under the Conservatives “the figures went up to 382,000. That's about 80 to 100,000, more than it was under Labour”. This is why Labour have pledged to put 13,000 more police on the streets to keep Britain safe.

We can't let the Tory cost of living crisis hold back our climate fight

Barry appeared on Camilla Tominey’s GB News show on the 30th of July to discuss banking regulation and the expansion of Ulez.

“I am a huge supporter of Ulez”, stated Barry, “it is a public health issue”. Pointing out that it was originally Boris Johnson’s policy, and it was Grant Shapps who eagerly pushed for its expansion.

“Don't take the politicians word for it. Listen to what the British Heart and Lung Foundation are saying. Listen to what all the doctors are saying. Listen to what the medical experts say. They say it's 4500 deaths a year that are caused prematurely by air pollution, and it can be solved by Ulez” - Barry.

Climate change is a war - we need to start treating it like one

We need to mobilise on a war footing to combat climate change.

On the 28th of July Barry appeared on BBC Newsnight alongside Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party and Conservative MP Mark Garnier to discuss the urgent need for action on climate change.

“If you want to protect familiies against rising oil and gas prices, you have to insulate their homes and invest in renewable power”.

Barry argues that in 25 years time “people are going to turn around to their politicians and say why didnt you do something about it?”.

You can read the Telegraph’s write up of Barry’s comments here.

'Horrible and vicious' dog breeding clinics must face clampdown, ministers told

Published on the 12th of July 2023, Barry was interviewed by the Mirror on the horrible practice of dog breeding clinics.

Barry demanded tough new laws to clampdown on "horrible and vicious" backstreet clinics breeding designer dogs with an array of health problems because they look cute.

The rise of back street canine fertility clinics “appalled” Barry, where owners are charged thousands for procedures carried out by unqualified staff.

You can read this piece here.

The Government aren't stepping up to the plate on air quality

The Government have paid money to support scrappage schemes in Bristol, Bolton, Birmingham, Oxford etc., yet they refuse to spend any money in London.

On the 9th of July 2023 Barry Gardiner appeared on Oli Dugmore’s LBC show to discuss Sadiq Khan’s Ulez expansion.

Barry expressed his support for the scheme as it is a vital public health measure in the pursuit of better air quality.

Poverty in the UK is far too common for the 6th largest economy in the world

Lee Anderson is right when he says that global poverty is stark and beyond what we see in the U.K. “that’s why I was against your party cutting the foreign aid budget. But as the 6th largest economy in the world I think British people deserve more than mud shacks.” Argued Barry on GB News.

On the 29th of June 2023 Barry appeared on Lee Anderson’s GB News show to discuss poverty in the UK and abroad and Trans rights.

The Government dropping international climate aid commitment would be a disaster

The Government are reportedly considering dropping the £11.6bn commitment to climate aid, as reported in the Guardian. Barry appeared on LBC on the 5th of July 2023 to explain why this would be a travesty, not just for combatting climate change, but for the UK’s reputation internationally.

Barry welcomned the Government’s statement that this policy will not in fact be dropped.

On the 75th Anniversary of the NHS, 7.4 million people are on waiting lists

On the 5th of July 2023 Barry appeared on GB News to analyse PMQs. The panel discussed the 75th anniversary of the NHS, ULEZ expansion and the importance of keeping cash usable.

On the 75th Anniversary of the NHS 7.4 million people are still on waiting lists. Over 11 thousand people have been on waiting lists for 18 months. This is unaceptable and a clear indictment of how poorly the Conservatives have managed our NHS.

Barry argued that ULEZ is a vital public health measure, as he pointed out the extreme damage that air pollution can do to our lungs, particularly those of our young people.

Climate security is acheived by acting not as a fortress but as a village.

On the 28th of June 2023 Barry was interviewed by the India Global Forum (IGF) on Tech Solutions to Climate.

Barry explained how India and the UK are working together on international, cooperative climate solutions, in particular interconnected solar power.

There are several barriers to energy investment in the UK, argued Barry, for example the need for our energy grid to be changed to a “digitalized grid” is crucial in making our market more competitive.

However, Barry does point out that the UK is, in many ways, a very attractive country for climate investment, in particular the political consensus around Net Zero. This is because “both parties in the UK are committed to net zero. I don't think anybody would claim that that is true in the United States.”

Grant Shapps Needs To Justify the "Insane" Onshore Wind Ban

Barry was interviewed by Alain Tolhurst of PoliticsHome on the 25th of June 2023.

Barry Gardiner argued that the government's decision to keep the effective moratorium on building new onshore wind farms is “insane” and is keen for the chance to challenge the Energy Security and Net Zero secretary to justify the government's Net Zero plans to MPs

You can read the full interview on PoliticsHome here.

The UK is losing out by not investing in Net Zero

“We have to look at onshore wind as a huge win for our economy” - Barry Gardiner MP.

As a member of the newly-created Energy Security and Net Zero Committee, Barry appeared on The Rundown, a podcast by PoliticsHome, alongside Pete Chalkley, director of think tank the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, and Luke Murphy, head of the Environmental Justice Commission at the Institute for Public Policy Research.

Hosted by Alain Tolhurst, the panel discuss how well the government is getting on with its target of hitting net zero by 2050, as well as Labour’s updated energy plans.

The Home Office has demonstrated a simple failure of governance

On the 20th of June 2023 Barry appeared on BBC Politics Live alongside Conservative MP Danny Kruger; Labour MP Barry Gardiner; Liberal Democrats MP Layla Moran and global pollster and communication analyst, Frank Luntz. 

Hosted by Jo Coburn the group discussed the Boris Johnson Privileges Committee which was backed by MPs 354 MPs, with only 7 opposing.

After this they discuss Council Housing, where Barry made clear that the Government simply havn’t built enough houses. 1.2 million households are on the waiting list for social housing, but last year less than 8000 new social homes were built.

Home Office has made a U-turn on drug testing at UK festivals. From now on, drug-checking facilities must apply for a special licence, which could take three months to be approved, this therefore means that festivals this year, such as Parklife and Glastonbury won’t be able to have drug-checking facilities. Barry argued that this is “simply a failure of governance”.