Corbyn and Berry best informed on issues as leaders battled to top each others’ commitments
28 Nov. 2019
With Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage refusing to take part, Channel 4’s climate debate was a pretty straightforward affair, with the leaders of the Greens, Labour, Plaid Cymru, Scottish National party and Liberal Democrats competing to outdo each other on climate promises, rather than attacking anyone’s record.
Overall pitch
Berry: Only the Greens will put the climate and biodiversity crises at the very top of the government’s priorities, and other parties are only taking these issues seriously now because the Greens have won the argument.
Corbyn: Unlike the Tories, Labour has a climate plan and it will create huge numbers of jobs in a “green industrial revolution” encompassing offshore wind farms, housing upgrades, nationalised railways and energy, and a lot of new trees.
Price: The Plaid Cymru leader made a strong pitch that Wales has been neglected by Westminster governments handing out infrastructure investment, which is vital to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Sturgeon: Scotland is already a leader in onshore and offshore wind, and could go much further in renewable energy generation, as well as tree-planting and nature conservation.
Swinson: The Liberal Democrats have traditionally been the strongest on green issues among the three main parties but have struggled to regain lost ground after taking part in the coalition, which failed to fulfil its promise to be “the greenest government ever”. Swinson’s commitments, for instance on achieving net zero only five years before the Tories, looked less impressive when compared with other parties.
Read more at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/nov/28/who-won-the-general-election-climate-debate
