On Monday 21 June, Caroline Lucas MP (Green) presented and gave the CEE Bill its first reading in the House of Commons in this new 2021-22 parliamentary session.
The CEE Bill is now back in the parliamentary system!
Tabled with its formal title—the Climate and Nature Bill—this was the earliest possible opportunity for the CEE Bill to return to Westminster, having fallen (like bills) at the end of the 2019-21 session. Friday 10 September was set as the Bill’s second reading, and that important milestone will be a chance for us to demonstrate the breadth of cross-party support for the campaign.
As part of presenting it to the UK Parliament, the Bill’s long title (i.e. its overall aim) was put on the record:
A Bill to require the United Kingdom to achieve climate and nature targets; to give the Secretary of State a duty to implement a strategy to achieve those targets; to establish a Climate and Nature Assembly to advise the Secretary of State in creating that strategy; to give duties to the Committee on Climate Change and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee regarding the strategy and targets; and for connected purposes. Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 10 September, and to be printed (Bill 61).
Caroline is the Bill’s primary sponsor, supported by 11 co-sponsors representing almost every party in the House of Commons:
- Barry Gardiner MP (Labour)—former Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
- Alan Brown MP (SNP)—Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change
- Ed Davey (Lib Dem)—Leader of the Liberal Democrats
- Liz Saville Roberts (PC)—Leader of Plaid Cymru, Westminster
- Claire Hanna (Social Democratic and Labour Party)
- Dr Stephen Farry (Alliance)—Deputy Leader of the Alliance Party
- Clive Lewis (Labour)—former Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
- Alex Sobel (Labour/Co-op)—Shadow Minister of State for Tourism and Heritage
- Brendan O’Hara (SNP)—Co-Leader of the SNP COP26 Team, Westminster
- Sarah Olney (Lib Dem)—Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Energy and Climate Change
- Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru)—Plaid Cymru Spokesperson for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
It’s also brilliant to count on the official support of the Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru, Greens, SDLP and Alliance parties, alongside many hundreds of activists, officials, councillors, Peers and MPs from every major party—including DUP and Conservatives.
Four Westminster party leaders—Ed Davey (Lib Dems), Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru), Colum Eastwood (SDLP) and Caroline Lucas (Green)—are sponsoring this updated CEE Bill in this session, and we’re proud to count on the backing of 106 other MPs—including SNP deputy leader, Kirsten Oswald and Shadow Scotland Secretary, Ian Murray.
With the Bill now back in business, we’re redoubling our efforts to persuade as many MPs, Peers and councillors to join the Alliance and help us make the strongest possible case to the UK Government—before the COP15 (biodiversity) and COP26 (climate) summits—that the UK must deliver a serious climate-nature strategy.
We’re proud of the level of parliamentary support we’ve grown since last September—but there’s still a way to go in order to convince a majority of MPs that current Government promises, pledges and targets aren’t enough.
We need a serious, comprehensive climate-nature crisis plan—and that means passing the CEE Bill.
We’ll continue to pull every parliamentary lever available to us to make the case for the Bill, so make sure you’re signed up to receive our newsletter for details of what the Alliance is planning this summer.
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