On Monday 11 July the Club was delighted to be able to welcome St Albans MP and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat party Daisy Cooper, as a follow up to the “Open Conversation” held in May 2021 – please click here for more https://sigbi.org/st-albans-and-district/2021/24may/
Many of the issues raised back then have moved on since then, and Daisy was able to join us for half an hour of her busy Parliamentary day (this was just a few days after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation and also a busy time before the summer recess).
The Club had sent Daisy a few key questions in advance that we were asking for updates on, and then there was time for questions.
The Domestic Abuse Act had come into force in April 2021 – what has it meant?
Daisy said that Domestic Abuse is one of the few topics that gains full cross-party support which is a really good way to work on important issues.
Positive major changes introduced by the Act were:
- The legal definition for children to be victims of domestic abuse in their own right.
- The appointment of a Domestic Abuse Commissioner.
- Councils to have a responsibility to fund safe accommodation for survivors.
- New protections/special measures in courts – including ban on abusers cross examining victims and “rough sex” not to be allowed be to declared by the abuser.
On the downside the Act doesn’t mention Refuges or funding, and migrant women are still excluded. These is also an urgent need for specialist Domestic Abuse legal support for those who don’t have access to it.
COP 26 – what has happened since COP26 was held in the UK in 2021?
Daisy talked us through the four headline items: cash, coal, cars and trees.
There has been a push to get agreements at COP26 and since then commitments have been destabilised by the war in Ukraine and the ongoing impact of COVID.
Cash – very little progress ,money is being spent on energy and food and not the climate emergency.
Coal – expansion continues when renewables are a better option. Windfall Tax seems to g – have built in a encouragement towards gas etc which needs to be removed. India and China seem to be backsliding.
Cars – Mixed picture on cars – huge increase in use of hybrid and electric but still too slow because not enough infrastructures/incentives.
Trees – landmark moment to get full halt to deforestation but the commitment from an important country like Brazil is nil. There is a new All Party Parliament Group against deforestation – working with external groups who are contributing to deforestation.
The next COP is on the topic of Nature, which includes deforestation. It was to have been in China but with COVID will now happen elsewhere.
Next there were some great direct questions (as always!) from Members present:
Louise Marron (pictured here), asked how can MPs work together better in Hertfordshire? Daisy answered that Cross-party working is very good see above, but Herts MPs will only work together if it is something specifically affecting Hertfordshire.
Louise told Daisy about Oranging the world https://sigbi.org/st-albans/orange22 and asked for her support and tips on how to work with Councillors and MPs about campaigns like that.
Daisy is aware of the oranging the world and will come if she can. Her advice is to be very specific about what you want Councillors and MPs to do when you contact them.
Liz Tillett asked “what are the key issues for women & girls in Herts?” Daisy answered street safety. She had attended a public meeting and heard about real life experiences where women do not feel safe in public places – this needs to be built into a local plan.
Another issue is support services for women who are victims – social housing, safe temporary housing – it is much better for women to stay in their own community with their personal support network.
Janet Tansley asked “what happens to batteries from new electric cars?”. Daisy said that she is under the impression that they won’t go to landfill – because they are made of valuable elements that need to be extracted for reuse.
Beverley Keech asked – is the Leadership Election in Parliament rolling back climate change progress? Daisy says it is very frustrating because our international reputation is at risk. She believes Alok Sharma who was the President of COP26 will ensure it is on the table again. Daisy said that one of the best ways of tackling cost of living would be to insulate homes. Daisy also expressed concern about the declining bee population – she praised the rewilding projects in St Albans and said that it needs to be done right across the UK. She also spoke about Nuclear Power – and believes that renewable energy will be cheaper and can be in operation faster.
Everyone thanked Daisy for her time. The discussions were continued after Daisy had left with a focus on “Where Next” for the Club’s Programme. More information will be sent to Members separately and discussions will continue in the Club’s three Project Teams.