COP29

Question

The MP congratulated the Prime Minister and Secretary of State on their leadership at COP29, particularly on delivering £300 billion in climate finance for developing countries. He asked to what extent the combination of Britain's performance at COP and domestic achievements since 4 July will encourage other countries to address the climate crisis.

Question

COP29 concluded with a deal that, while welcome, leaves much to be desired. We need bolder, more decisive action if we are to face the greatest challenge of our time: the climate crisis. I express Lib Dem support for a brave programme of action going forward and our willingness to work with his Department to help the UK step up and seize this opportunity for climate leadership.

Question

No one can doubt the leadership shown by the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State in Baku. Developing nations have been critical about the financial agreement that was reached, and the commitments made in Paris on fossil fuels were not followed through. What are the main barriers right now to getting the action and pace of action that are needed?

Question

I commend to the Secretary of State “The UK Small Island Developing States Strategy” report. A key focus of that report is the need to support those island states not just at COP but all the time by the UK being an advocate for their needs and requirements across the international community.

Question

I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement today and the agreement reached at COP29 in Baku. He and I go back a long way on COP, so we know what it is like when it goes wrong. The fundamental reason we have leadership on the global stage now is not just because of the target but because we have a plan.

Question

A green energy future is exciting for our local economy, but villages like Happisburgh are suffering from being part of the fastest eroding coastline in Europe. Can I push him specifically on how the outcomes of COP will provide reassurance to my residents who are worried about losing their homes to coastal erosion now?

Question

I strongly welcome the Secretary of State’s signing of a new UK-US advanced nuclear technologies agreement at COP. Will he share more details of that agreement, and does he agree that it could form the basis of a much more ambitious agreement between the UK and the US on civil nuclear development?

Question

The Prime Minister implied that the new wind energy project in Hull would result in lower energy bills for my constituents, but he refused to say by when. When can my constituents and others across the country expect to see the £300 reduction in their bills that the Labour party promised?

Question

When I consider this sort of issue, I tend to think of my grandchildren and what the world will be like for them in years to come. Despite what my right hon. Friend says, there were tough negotiations at this COP, and he must be congratulated on the role that he played in achieving the agreements that we got there.

Question

Low-income countries were extremely disappointed by the finance agreements at COP—$300 billion does not come anywhere near the level of need. Critically, there was no clarity on how much would be grants versus loans, which could plunge developing nations into further debt. Does the Secretary of State share concerns over an overreliance on loans and private sector funding, and believes public finance should be raised through taxes on polluting companies?

Question

Welcoming the Secretary's statement, does he recognise industrial heartlands such as Doncaster were let down by previous promises without delivery? What will Labour do to support British industry and coalfield communities?

Question

COP leaders agreed to triple climate finance to $300 billion a year. The Secretary mentioned the spending review in his statement, but can he tell us how much the UK will contribute?

Question

Welcoming my right hon. Friend’s statement, what is he doing to ensure we have the workforce necessary for retrofitting homes under the warm homes plan, especially in areas like mine where it's challenging?

Question

Can the Secretary of State reassure us that UK aid budget will increase beyond what has gone on climate finance? Does the agreement on deforestation mean an end to subsidies for burning trees in England? Where can we find GB Energy?

Question

The COP in Azerbaijan did not deliver funding at necessary scale; should big oil companies fund climate investment given their profits from driving the crisis?

Question

What does he say to Offshore Energies UK about energy tax stripping out £13 billion of North sea investment?

Question

What formal mechanism does he envisage to ensure youth oversight of emission reduction targets?

Question

Does he agree that beyond COP29, we must commit to a phased ban on peat in horticulture?

Question

How does he think the COP process could be improved? What advice would he give to anyone taking over a major world economy's presidency early next year?

Question

The Secretary of State is welcoming a conference to deal with CO2 where the host country tried to use it to sell oil and gas deals, leaders did not bother turning up, 490 civil servants were sent to attend, and the main topic was how to extract money from countries guilty of industrialisation. How can the Secretary of State expect hard-pressed taxpayers to pay out billions to foreign countries?

Question

How will the UK implement new article 6 regulations of the Paris agreement, and support other countries with voluntary carbon markets for nature-based solutions like reforestation?

Question

Can the Secretary of State explain why the Government is taking money from pensioners’ pockets for climate finance, given that 10,975 constituents in his constituency will lose winter fuel payments and 100,000 pensioners are being plunged into poverty?

Question

Does the £1 billion Siemens deal in east Hull prove the Government’s commitment to making the UK a clean energy superpower?

Question

Where is the leadership in sending 470 officials and delegates halfway across the world to a climate change conference, costing carbon and cash? Did we send more than any other western European country?

Question

Will my right hon. Friend consider taking a young person from sixth form or university along as an adviser, to remind delegations that it is future generations’ futures on the table?

Question

Despite noting that it is in the UK’s interest to speed up clean energy, what will the Secretary of State finally confirm about the Government’s plan for nuclear at Wylfa in my constituency?

Question

Does the Secretary of State agree that clean energy is how we achieve energy security, and that energy security is how we achieve national security when our world faces threats like never before?

Question

Did we make the case for investment in clean energy, reducing dependency on petrostates like Russia after its invasion of Ukraine?

Question

What specific work will be undertaken to improve global ambitions and keep temperature rise below 1.5°C, transitioning away from fossil fuels?

Question

How will the Secretary of State ensure that the pot of funding is used to achieve necessary aims and not siphoned off or lost, considering pushing a pen around can be costly?

Question

How will we ensure that we capture economic benefits domestically, showing leadership in driving investment, growth and opportunity across the UK?

Question

Constituencies such as mine and regions such as the north-east once powered the British economy. Does the Secretary of State agree that the leadership we are now showing must secure investment for those regions that have far too often been left behind, and that that investment must include new nuclear for towns such as Hartlepool?

Question

I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement, and thank him for showing such leadership on the world stage alongside the Prime Minister. As he mentioned in his statement, Britain must show leadership to get the 99% of emissions contributed by the rest of the world down, with nearly 1 billion people at risk of drought, flooding and heatwaves. Given the climate sceptics who now face him on the Opposition Front Bench, can my right hon. Friend restate for this House why it is in Britain’s interests to help those people?

Question

I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement and for his clear global leadership on this issue over many years. A constituent, Michael Jones—a leader in climate change education—attended Baku as part of the COP delegation with a delegation of students from across the UK as part of the climate change challenge, leading on efforts to educate policymakers on the impacts of climate change on the next generation. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the next generation deserve better and a Government who—unlike the Opposition, who flip-flop and show no consistency on the issue—have a firm commitment to deliver a reduction in emissions with the international community?