Student Loans Letter to Chancellor
-
The Rt Hon John Healey MP
Chancellor of the Exchequer
HM Treasury
The Correspondence & Enquiry unit
1 Horse Guards Road
London
SW1A 2HQ
Letter coordinated by Rethink Repayment
Thursday 6th August 2026
Dear Chancellor,
We write to you as a cross-party group of 121 MPs and peers to highlight a growing concern
across the country: the compounding financial pressure on recent graduates and early-career
professionals due to the current structure of student loan repayments.
While higher education remains a vital pathway for personal advancement and national
economic growth, successive governments' adjustments to repayment thresholds - together
with high interest and marginal tax rates - are placing an unsustainable burden on the next
generation of workers.
Across the country, we are hearing from young teachers, nurses, engineers, and entrepreneurs
who are facing historically high effective marginal tax rates. For many middle-income
graduates, the combination of income tax, National Insurance, and student loan repayments
means they see less than half of any hard-earned pay rise. At a time when the cost of living
remains a primary concern, this significantly diminishes disposable income, delays milestones
such as first-time homeownership and family formation, and disincentivises career
progression.
We are united in the belief that the current repayment framework requires urgent review, as
indicated by the Treasury Select Committee’s recent inquiry recommendations, to ensure it is
fair, sustainable, and supportive of aspiration.
We welcome the opportunity to meet with you alongside campaigners to discuss how we can
better support graduates while maintaining a responsible fiscal approach. We would be
grateful if you could reach out to Rethink Repayment on [email protected] to
organise a meeting.
Yours,
Co-sponsors:
Sadik Al-Hassan MP, Labour
Jas Athwal MP, Labour
Rt Hon Laura Trott MP, Conservatives
David Reed MP, Conservatives
Munira Wilson MP, Liberal Democrats
Oliver Gardner, Rethink Repayment
National Union of StudentsAnd the undersigned:
Abtisam Mohamed MP (Co-chair of APPG for Students)
Alex Sobel MP (Co-chair of APPG for Students)
Tahir Ali MP
The Lord Alton of Liverpool
The Baroness Altmann CBE
Gareth Bacon MP
The Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville
The Lord Balfe
Apsana Begum MP
Saqib Bhatti MP
Bob Blackman CBE MP
The Baroness Blackstone
Sarah Bool MP
The Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted
Rt Hon Dame Karen Bradley MP
Aphra Brandreth MP
The Rt Hon the Baroness Butler-Sloss GBE
The Baroness Cash
The Lord Cashman CBE
David Chadwick MP
Danny Chambers MP
Bambos Charalambous MP
Dr Ellie Chowns MP
Lewis Cocking MP
Victoria Collins MP
Daisy Cooper MP
John Cooper MP
Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Cox KC MP
Stella Creasy MP
Adam Dance MP
The Baroness Deech DBE
Carla Denyer MP
Charlie Dewhirst MP
Dame Caroline Dinenage MP
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP
Sorcha Eastwood MP
Cat Eccles MP
Will Forster MP
Zoe Franklin MP
George Freeman MP
Louie French MP
The Baroness Garden of Frognal
Dr Allison Gardner MP
Mark Garnier OBE MP
Rt Hon John Glen MP
Tom Gordon MP
The Rt Hon the Lord Hain
The Baroness Hamwee
Wera Hobhouse MP
Paul Holmes MP
The Rt Hon the Lord Howell of Guilford
Dr Neil Hudson MP
Liz Jarvis MP
Dr Caroline Johnson MP
Kim Johnson MPLincoln Jopp MC MP
Alicia Kearns MP
Afzal Khan CBE MP
The Baroness Brown of Cambridge DBE (Julia King)
Ben Lake MP
Katie Lam MP
Alan Mak MP
Rt Hon Kit Malthouse MP
The Baroness Manzoor CBE
Dr Brian Mathew MP
Jerome Mayhew MP
Rt Hon John McDonnell MP
Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP
Iqbal Mohamed MP
Gagan Mohindra MP
Robbie Moore MP
Joy Morrissey MP
Rt Hon Sir David Mundell MP
Rt Hon Dr Andrew Murrison MP
Neil O'Brien OBE MP
Dr Simon Opher MP
Kate Osamor MP
Rebecca Paul MP
Toby Perkins MP
Lee Pitcher MP
Yasmin Qureshi MP
Shivani Raja MP
Adrian Ramsay MP
Jack Rankin MP
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
Joe Robertson MP
Anna Sabine MP
Jim Shannon MP
Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst MP
Sir Alec Shelbrooke MP
David Simmonds CBE MP
Vikki Slade MP
The Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (Carmen Smith)
Cat Smith MP
Rt Hon Sir Julian Smith MP
Andrew Snowden MP
Ian Sollom MP
Hannah Spencer MP
Patrick Spencer MP
Greg Stafford MP
Blake Stephenson MP
Rt Hon Graham Stuart MP
Rt Hon Sir Desmond Swayne MP
Bradley Thomas MP
The Earl of Clancarty (Nicolas Trench)
Rt Hon Tom Tugendhat MP
The Baroness Uddin
Martin Vickers MP
The Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe
The Baroness Watkins of Tavistock
Rt Hon Sir John Whittingdale MP
James Wild MP
Max Wilkinson MPRt Hon Sir Gavin Williamson MP
Rt Hon Sammy Wilson MP
Mohammad Yasin MP
Claire Young MP
Total signatories: 121
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Protecting England’s Small Waters
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Emma Hardy MP
Minister for Water and Flooding
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Seacole Building, 2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
Dear Minister,
Protecting England’s Small Waters
We are writing to draw your attention to the issue of small waters and urge you to recognise
these overlooked but critically important habitats in upcoming reforms to water policy.
Small waters, including ponds, headwater streams and small lakes, are a major part of
England’s freshwater environment and critically important for biodiversity. Because of their
small catchments, small waters are more likely to contain clean water, and support the species
which rely on this ever-diminishing resource.
In practice, almost all small waters have been excluded from statutory monitoring and
management under the Water Framework Directive. This has stymied investment in simple,
cost-effective actions like pond creation, and undermined nature recovery.
Government now has the opportunity to correct this oversight and bring small waters into
statutory monitoring and management. Because these habitats are comparatively quick and
easy to create or restore, this modest reform would drive significant near-term progress
towards England’s nature recovery goals.
Bringing small waters into the Water Framework Directive would enable the Government to
bring clean water back to England’s landscapes and begin reversing the long decline of our
freshwater wildlife.
In upcoming water reforms, we urge you to ensure small waters are properly recognised,
protected and supported as a vital part of England’s freshwater environment.
Yours,
Chris Hinchliff MP
Jeremy Biggs, CEO, Freshwater Habitats Trust
Richard Benwell, CEO, Wildlife and Countryside Link
Letter to Ministers Hardy & Morgan on bycatch
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Emma Hardy MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Seacole Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
Stephen Morgan MP
Minister of State
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Seacole Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
Date
Dear Minister Hardy and Minister Morgan,
A new report published by Wildlife and Countryside Link shows that thousands of animals are being killed when incidentally caught by fishing in UK waters every year. Urgent government action is needed to end this bycatch.
Bycatch is causing enormous suffering to individual animals and threatening the survival of some of our most-loved species, from dolphins to Atlantic salmon. Bycatch is a key reason the Government is failing to meet the legal requirement under the Marine Strategy Regulations 2010 to reach Good Environmental Status for UK seas by 2020. Bycatch is also limiting the Government’s ability to achieve the Environment Act marine protected area (MPA) target by killing designated species in MPAs, such as harbour porpoises. To meet the Government’s marine goals, action on bycatch is needed now.
The UK already has laws in place requiring reduction or elimination of bycatch. In addition to the legal targets above, The Fisheries Act 2020 requires the UK and devolved governments to set out policies to minimise and, where possible, eliminate incidental catches of sensitive species. What we need is action to implement these requirements. There are solutions available to prevent bycatch, allow recovery of protected marine species and enable the UK to achieve its legal obligations.
We call on you to:
Deliver promised Bycatch Action Plans for all protected species threatened by bycatch, with quantitative, time-bound bycatch reduction targets and clear commitments to fisheries management measures to meet these targets.
Require remote electronic monitoring on all fishing boats in English waters, including smaller under-10m boats that are responsible for a large proportion of bycatch. This will finally reveal the true scale of bycatch and monitor whether bycatch mitigation measures are working.
There are clear examples of organisations working alongside fishers to deliver reductions in bycatch. For example, in Filey Bay, on the Yorkshire coast, a collaboration between fishers and eNGOs reduced seabird deaths from around 700 a year to just four or five by trialling new methods, such as heavier nets. In Scotland, trials of weighted ropes by the Scottish Entanglement Alliance in creel fisheries have shown success in reducing the risk of whales becoming entangled in fishing gear.
We urge you to set out plans for expanding these and other solutions fleet-wide through delivery of time-bound Bycatch Action Plans, supporting fishers to transition to fishing methods with a low or zero bycatch risk, and puttingin place the monitoring needed to be sure action is working. We also urge you to work with your counterparts in the devolved governments to deliver similar measures across the UK.
We call on you to end sensitive species bycatch in UK seas.
Yours sincerely,
Kerry McCarthy MP
Sarah Champion MP
Dr Ellie Chowns MP
Carla Denyer MP
Barry Gardiner MP
Chris Hinchliff MP
Wera Hobhouse MP
Ruth Jones MP
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb
The Rt Hon Sir Julian Lewis MP
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
Toby Perkins MP
Adrian Ramsay MP
Lord Randall of Uxbridge
Hannah Spencer MP
Lord Teverson
Baroness Willis of Summertown CBE
Baroness Young of Old Scone
Letter on Palestinian Refugees
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Urgent: Please ensure that Palestinians from Gaza are included in the first phase of Named Community Sponsorship
Dear Home Secretary.
We write to welcome the Government’s new Named Community Sponsorship route, announced by you and due to openfor applications this autumn. This scheme will enable communities to take direct responsibility for welcoming refugees. It is a scheme which we are hopeful of and want to succeed.
We understand that the first phase of implementation, expected to be announced shortly, will identify which groups ofrefugees are prioritised at the outset. Public reporting has suggested that Sudanese and Eritrean nationals are likely to be among those included. We have seen no indication that Palestinians from Gaza will be part of the first cohort, and we are deeply concerned that they may be excluded.
We do not raise this to diminish the urgent claims of any other group. The humanitarian crises in Sudan and Eritrea aregrave. We raise it because the humanitarian situation in Gaza is among the gravest in the world today, because many Palestinian families have longstanding family and community links with the United Kingdom, and because communities across the UK are already ready and willing to sponsor them.
Named Community Sponsorship is intended to harness the commitment and capacity of communities prepared to welcome refugees. In the case of Palestinians from Gaza, that commitment already exists. Faith communities, refugee organisations and local community groups stand ready to provide practical support for families rebuilding their lives. Including Palestinians from Gaza in the first phase would therefore reflect not only humanitarian need but also the practical readiness that is central to the success of the scheme.
We are asking for one specific and practical humanitarian decision: that Palestinian families from Gaza, subject to the same security, criminality and health checks as any other applicant, be included among those eligible for Named Community Sponsorship from the first phase.
We understand that the announced scheme would operate in partnership with UNHCR, who will determine the refugee status of the sponsored individuals; however, since neither UNHCR nor UNRWA can register Palestinian refugees to come to the UK at this stage, the standard referral pathway may not extend to Gazans - effectively excluding them. Therefore, we are asking that you establish an alternative mechanism for Gazans.
If the Government concludes that this is not possible, we respectfully ask that it publish the reasons for that decision together with a clear timetable for the inclusion of Palestinian families from Gaza.
We believe this would command support across faith communities and among organisations with long experience of refugee sponsorship. It would demonstrate that the scheme is guided by humanitarian need, practical readiness and fairness.
Given the urgency of the timetable, we would be grateful for an opportunity to meet with you before the first-phase announcement. We suggest that such a meeting include representatives of Communities for Palestinians and Citizens UK so that we can discuss the practical case for including Palestinian families from Gaza in the initial phase of the scheme.
We look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
Adrian Ramsay MP
Letter on the International Court of Justice’s landmark Advisory Opinion on Israel’s occupation
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The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP
Secretary of State for Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Affairs
King Charles Street
London SW1A 2AH
(sent by email)
14 July 2026
Dear Foreign Secretary,
Re: Two Years On - the Government Must Act in Line with the International Court of Justice’s
Advisory Opinion on Israel
We write ahead of the second anniversary of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) landmark
Advisory Opinion on Israel’s occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, issued on 19 July
2024. We urge the Government to impose sanctions and other concrete measures to uphold its legal
obligations under this ruling and wider international law.
The world’s highest court, the ICJ, found that Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory (OPT) is unlawful. It called for Israel to end this presence “as rapidly as
possible” and cease all new settlement activity.
Two years on, Israel has not only ignored the Court but deepened its illegal occupation. This
includes recent orders by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for Israel’s army to seize large
areas of the Gaza Strip, alongside intensified annexationist measures in the occupied West Bank,
including the approval of plans to register land there as Israeli state property.
These examples underline how, without much bolder action, the Israeli Government will continue to
simply ignore the words of condemnation from political leaders and governments and deepen its
illegal occupation.
All States have an obligation to act.
The ICJ is clear that all States have an obligation not to recognise this illegal situation and “not to
render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel’s illegal presence in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory.
”
The Court also made clear that all States must “abstain from entering into economic or trade dealings
with Israel concerning the Occupied Palestinian Territory or parts thereof which may entrench itsunlawful presence in the territory” and “take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that assist
in the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel in the OPT .
”
Additionally, the ICJ reiterated the obligations of all State Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to
ensure Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law.
The Government’s Responsibilities
The ICJ’s Opinion identifies clear legal responsibilities on the Government.
Yet, despite acknowledging the Court’s findings, two years on, the Government has still not formally
responded or taken the steps required to meet its legal and moral obligations. Further delay is
simply indefensible.
The Government knows what needs to be done. It has rightly imposed widespread sanctions on
Russia for its illegal war on Ukraine. Yet there has been no such comprehensive response to Israel’s
actions in Gaza and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
We are clear that international law cannot be applied selectively. The Government must apply the
same principles to Israel’s unlawful occupation as it does elsewhere.
In line with the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion and to uphold its legal obligations, we urge the Government
to act without delay by:
• Banning all trade in goods and services with illegal Israeli settlements and taking action
against companies profiting from or sustaining the illegal occupation.
• Imposing targeted sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, on all individuals and
entities complicit in maintaining Israel’s unlawful presence in the OPT , including political
leaders responsible for illegal settlement expansion and annexationist policies.
• Suspending the UK-Israel trade agreement until Israel complies with international law.
• Ending all arms transfers to Israel, including F-35 components and other equipment that may
be used in violations of international humanitarian law.
If the Government wants to show that its stated commitment to international law and human rights
is more than words, then it must act decisively and without further delay.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Burgon MP and Imran Hussain MP
Diane Abbott MP
Shockat Adam MP
Lord John Alderdice
Tahir Ali MP
Paula Barker MP
Lorraine Beavers MP
Órfhlaith Begley MP
Apsana Begum MP
Siân Berry MP
Lara Bird MP
Lee Barron MP
Olivia Blake MPBaroness Christine Blower
Ian Byrne MP
Ellie Chowns MP
Jeremy Corbyn MP
Pat Cullen MP
Ann Davies MP
Marsha De Cordova MP
Carla Denyer MP
Dave Doogan MP
Lord Alf Dubs
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP
Colum Eastwood MP
Sorcha Eastwood MP
Cat Eccles MP
John Finucane MP
Mary Kelly Foy MP
Andrew George MP
Mary Glindon MP
Lord Peter Hain
Claire Hanna MP
Chris Hazzard MP
Lord John Hendy
Chris Hinchliff MP
Dáire Hughes MP
Rupa Huq MP
Adnan Hussain MP
Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece
Kim Johnson MP
Afzal Khan MP
Ayoub Khan MP
Ben Lake MP
Peter Lamb MP
Ian Lavery MP
Chris Law MP
Brian Leishman MP
Clive Lewis MP
Baroness Ruth Lister
Cathal Mallaghan MP
Rachael Maskell MP
Paul Maskey MP
Douglas McAllister MP
Andy McDonald MP
John McDonnell MP
Llinos Medi MP
Abtisam Mohamed MP
Iqbal Mohamed MP
Lord Shaffaq Mohammed
Grahame Morris MP
Brendan O'Hara MP
Simon Opher MP
Kate Osborne MP
Yasmin Qureshi MP
Adrian Ramsay MP
Martin Rhodes MP
Marie Rimmer MP
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
Liz Saville-Roberts MP
Lord Prem Sikka
Lord Indarjit Singh
Cat Smith MP
Hannah Spencer MP
Zarah Sultana MP
Jon Trickett MP
Baroness Pola Uddin
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi
Nadia Whittome MP
Steve Witherden MP
Mohammad Yasin MP
Cross-party Rosebank letter to the Prime Minister
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Dear Prime Minister,
We are writing as a cross-party group of Members of Parliament and Members of the Scottish
Parliament to voice our collective opposition to the Rosebank oil field.
The decision your Government now faces is about more than just a single oil development –
a defining test of your commitment to the UK’s economic resilience and climate security.
Opposition to Rosebank spans across parliamentary benches and the nations of the UK.
Approving this development would be fundamentally incompatible with our legally binding
climate obligations and, crucially, with the secure future that energy workers and communities
deserve.
it is
While the oil and gas sector has previously served an important role in the UK’s economy,
claims that Rosebank would guarantee UK energy security or protect jobs do not hold up to
scrutiny. Most of what would be produced by Rosebank would be sold on international markets,
while profits continue to flow overseas rather than revitalising the industrial communities
currently struggling in the North East of Scotland, the North of England and beyond. The oil and
gas industry has scaled back on domestic renewable investment alongside repeated rounds of
redundancies, leading to increasingly insecure employment for the workforce.
Approving Rosebank would markedly diminish the UK’s standing on the world stage. At a time
when global climate action requires bold leadership, approving one of the largest undeveloped
oil fields in the UK would undermine our international credibility and weaken our ability to lead
on the world stage.
Instead, we urge you to use this pivotal moment to signal a decisive shift towards the green
industrial revolution. This is not a political choice between jobs and climate. This is a choice
between prolonging our dependence on volatile, declining markets, or instead investing directly
in British clean energy manufacturing capabilities that will provide employment for years to
come. Our focus must be on creating secure, well-paid jobs that place oil and gas workers at
the very heart of a genuinely fair energy transition.
The decision on Rosebank will be one of the defining choices of your premiership. We urge you
to reject this development, cement the UK’s climate leadership, and work with us to build a
fairer, cleaner, and more prosperous future for all of the communities we represent.
Yours sincerely,
Sanctioning the government of Israel for the systematic torture and ill-treatment ofPalestinians in Israeli detention
-
Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP
Foreign Secretary
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
30/06/2026
Dear Foreign Secretary,
Re. Sanctioning the government of Israel for the systematic torture and ill-treatment of
Palestinians in Israeli detention
We write to express our deep concern that the government has yet to sanction members of the Israeli
government for the systematic torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees, including children, in
Israeli detention.
Responsibility for the systematic and well-documented torture of Palestinian civilians lies with the
government of Israel, including Prime Minister Netanyahu.
While the sanctions announced in June 2025 against ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich
remain welcome, they have done little to change the government of Israel’s approach to Palestinian
detainees. Since the sanctions were announced, the systematic torture of Palestinians, including
children, has escalated, with near total impunity. For example:
• In February 2026, a report by the UN Special Rapporteur found that “torture has become integral
to the domination of and punishment inflicted on [Palestinian] men, women and children, both
through custodial abuse and through a relentless campaign of forced displacement, mass killings,
deprivation and the destruction of all means of life”.
• On 12 March 2026, the Military Advocate dropped charges in a case involving the alleged rape of
a Palestinian detainee by Israeli soldiers, a decision praised by Prime Minister Netanyahu. The
rape was partially captured on CCTV footage.
• On 29 April and 18-19 May 2026, Israeli naval forces violently intercepted Global Sumud Flotilla
and Freedom Flotilla Coalition vessels in international waters, subsequently detaining members of
the flotilla and subjecting them to ill-treatment, including beatings. British nationals allege they were
beaten, with one shot in the leg. Footage of some of the degrading treatment flotilla members were
subjected to was published by Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The above is illustrative of the impunity with which the government of Israel is able to treat civilians. We
urge you to take further steps to help end this impunity by sanctioning the government of Israel’s
Minister of Justice, Yariv Levin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Yours sincerely,
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP
Member of Parliament for Poole
House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Tel: 01202 160740
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.neilforpoole.co.uk
MPs
Shockat Adam MP Tahir Ali MP Paula Barker MP
Lorraine Beavers MP Órfhlaith Begley MP Apsana Begum MP
Siân Berry MP Olivia Blake MP Richard Burgon MP
Ian Byrne MP Ellie Chowns MP Jeremy Corbyn MP
Pat Cullen MP Ann Davies MP Carla Denyer MP
Colum Eastwood MP Cat Eccles MP John Finucane MP
Mary Foy MP Andrew George MP Claire Hanna MP
Chris Hazzard MP Chris Hinchliff MP Dáire Hughes MP
Imran Hussain MP Adnan Hussain MP Kim Johnson MP
Ayoub Khan MP Afzal Khan MP Ben Lake MP
Ian Lavery MP Brian Leishman MP Clive Lewis MP
Rebecca Long-Bailey MP Cathal Mallaghan MP Rachael Maskell MP
Paul Maskey MP Andy McDonald MP John McDonnell MP
Llinos Medi MP Iqbal Mohamed MP Abtisam Mohamed MP
Grahame Morris MP Brendan O’Hara MP Simon Opher MP
Kate Osamor MP Kate Osborne MP Manuela Perteghella MP
Yasmin Qureshi MP Adrian Ramsay MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
Liz Saville Roberts MP Hannah Spencer MP Zarah Sultana MP
Desmond Swayne MP Jon Trickett MP Nadia Whittome MP
Steve Witherden MP Mary Glindon MP Alex Sobel MP
Peers
Baroness Bennett of Manor
Castle
Baroness Blower Lord Cashman CBE
Lord Davies of Brixton Lord Hendy KC Baroness Jones of
Moulsecoomb
Baroness Lister of Burtersett
CBE
Lord Sikka Lord Singh of Wimbledon CBE
Baroness Uddin Baroness Warsi Baroness Janke
Baroness Sheehan Lord Mohammed of Tinsley
Letter to Andy Burnham MP
-
29 June 2026
Dear Andy Burnham MP ,
We are writing to you in recognition of the increasingly likely event that you become the
next Prime Minister.
As Green Party MPs, we were elected on a manifesto of real change. It could not be clearer
that the public are desperate for politicians to deliver on this. Where our agendas overlap,
and if there is prospect of delivering real change, we will work with this government in a
spirit of cooperation. Where the government fall short, we hold Ministers accountable.
People’s lives are getting harder. Everyday life has become unaffordable and public
services are under immense pressure. People no longer trust that politicians or politics
will deliver for them, with growing unrest in our communities. We have watched a
genocide unfold in Gaza, and successive Prime Ministers have refused to take the
necessary action. And last week we witnessed some of the impacts of the climate and
nature crisis, with the second ever heat-related red alert weather warning in our country's
history. These are just some of the many crises our country is facing.
While people’s lives are becoming harder, those responsible for fuelling these crises are
cashing in. In the first month after the US and Israel’s initial strikes on Iran, the share value
of just five North Sea oil and gas companies was boosted by £73 billion (Greenpeace,
2026).
What we need, what the public want, and what Keir Starmer failed to deliver, is a
fundamental break with this failing status quo. Not tweaks, not backslides, but immediate
action to end the complex and connected crises we are experiencing. But the public are
tired of hearing about ‘change’ and not feeling it.
The Green Party is clear on what real change looks like. So, if you become the next Prime
Minister, will you to take the following initial steps?
Fix our electoral system: Introduce proportional representation for all national and
local elections before the next General Election.
Tax wealth fairly: At the Autumn Budget, align rates of Capital Gains Tax with income
tax; introduce National Insurance on investment income in line with employment
income; and take necessary steps to introduce an annual tax on the wealth of
multimillionaires and billionaires.
Hold the line on new oil and gas and restore nature: Do not approve proposed drilling
at Rosebank, Jackdaw or Cambo, or allow new oil and gas extraction through tiebacks
to existing production facilities; and rapidly scale up action to reverse the loss of
nature by 2030.Take water into public ownership: Starting with Thames Water, use powers the
government already has to bring failing water companies into special administration
and back into public hands, not just public control.
Introduce rent controls: Roll out rent controls across the country, as you have called
for as Mayor of Greater Manchester and as the new Green Party Mayors are now
demanding, and fund councils to buy existing homes from private landlords.
Uphold international law: Accept the findings of the UN Independent Commission of
Inquiry that the Israeli government has committed genocide in Gaza, and impose
comprehensive sanctions, including a full arms embargo.
This is of course not an exhaustive list of policies or actions needed to address the
multiple crises our country is facing. But taking immediate steps to deliver on the above
measures, which are hugely popular, would send a signal that you are serious about
changing course. Our constituents, and the country, need more than just a new manager.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Ellie Chowns MP
Hannah Spencer MP
Adrian Ramsay MP
Siân Berry MP
Carla Denyer MP
Re. Sanctioning the government of Israel for the systematic torture and ill-treatment of Palestinians in Israeli detention
-
Dear Foreign Secretary,
Re. Sanctioning the government of Israel for the systematic torture and ill-
treatment of Palestinians in Israeli detention
We write to express our deep concern that the government has yet to sanction
members of the Israeli government for the systematic torture and ill-treatment of
Palestinian detainees, including children, in Israeli detention.
Responsibility for the systematic and well-documented torture of Palestinian civilians
lies with the government of Israel, including Prime Minister Netanyahu.
While the sanctions announced in June 2025 against ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and
Bezalel Smotrich remain welcome, they have done little to change the government of
Israel’s approach to Palestinian detainees. Since the sanctions were announced, the
systematic torture of Palestinians, including children, has escalated, with near total
impunity. For example:
• In February 2026, a report by the UN Special Rapporteur found that “torture
has become integral to the domination of and punishment inflicted on
[Palestinian] men, women and children, both through custodial abuse and
through a relentless campaign of forced displacement, mass killings,
deprivation and the destruction of all means of life”.
• On 12 March 2026, the Military Advocate dropped charges in a case involving
the alleged rape of a Palestinian detainee by Israeli soldiers, a decision praised
by Prime Minister Netanyahu. The rape was partially captured on CCTV
footage.
• On 29 April and 18-19 May 2026, Israeli naval forces violently intercepted
Global Sumud Flotilla and Freedom Flotilla Coalition vessels in international
waters, subsequently detaining members of the flotilla and subjecting them to
ill-treatment, including beatings. British nationals allege they were beaten, with
one shot in the leg. Footage of some of the degrading treatment flotilla
members were subjected to was published by Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The above is illustrative of the impunity with which the government of Israel is able to
treat civilians. We urge you to take further steps to help end this impunity by
sanctioning the government of Israel’s Minister of Justice, Yariv Levin and Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Yours sincerely,
Britain-Palestine APPG Letter RE Great Israeli Real EstateEvent in London
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Britain-PalestineAPPGLetter
Great Israeli Real EstateEvent inLondon
14.06.2026
DearForeignSecretary,
ThisSunday,the‘Great Israeli Real EstateEvent’ is set to takeplace inLondon. Land incities andtownsbuiltontheforceddisplacementofthePalestinianpeople, includingproperties in Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank, will be available for purchase. One settlement among them is Gush Etzion, which is regarded by the UK government as part of
the occupied territory of the State of Palestine, as well as land in Jerusalem, encompassing occupied East Jerusalem, which has been illegally annexed by Israel.
Furthermore, the website advertising the event has made clear that its organisers are working with Bank Leumi, an Israeli bank financing construction in illegal settlements. As such, the event is firmly embedded in Israel’s project of colonial expansion, by facilitating the sale of land that has been stolen from Palestinians, a practice which has contributed to the fragmentation and dispossession of the Palestinian people for over a century. While inviting new settlers to purchase stolen Palestinian land, Palestinian refugees who have been displaced by Israel, and their descendants, are denied the ability to exercise their inalienable, legally-enshrined right of return.
At Tuesday’s ministerial statement announcing asset freezes of a handful of organisations and individuals involved in illegal Israeli settlement activity and Israeli state-sponsored violence against Palestinians, a number of MPs from across the House raised concerns about Sunday’s event. In response to these questions, you stated that ministers are “pursuing that particular event”, but there was no commitment from you to take action to prevent it from taking place.
Allowing the event to proceed would not only be inconsistent with current UK Government guidance on settlement-related economic activity, it would stand in opposition to the government’s obligations under international law.
As you will know, on 19 July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark advisory opinion, declaring that Israel’s presence and civilian settlement policies in the Occupied Palestinian state are illegal under international law. The ICJ found that Israel's settlement policy breaches Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring parts of its civilian population into occupied territory, a practice that amounts to the crime of pillage, which is a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Britain-Palestine APPG Letter
Great Israeli Real Estate Event in London
14.06.2026
The ICJ also determined that land confiscation, exploitation of natural resources, and settlement expansion amount to de facto annexation of Palestinian land. In turn, by fragmenting Palestinian territory, the opinion stated Israel's policies actively violate the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.
The ICJ ruled that Israel is obligated to end its unlawful presence in the occupied territories as rapidly as possible, cease all new settlement activity, and pay full reparations to Palestinians for damages caused by the occupation.
Beyond the duties incumbent upon Israel, the Court emphasised that all United Nations member states are under an obligation not to recognise the occupation as legal and must not render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel's presence.
Accordingly, in order to uphold its obligations under international law, as well as to maintain consistency with its own guidance on settlement-related economic activity, the UK government must now take all necessary steps to ensure Sunday’s planned event promoting illegal activities does not proceed in our capital city.
We look forward to your response setting out the action that the government will take to address the matter.
Yours sincerely,
Project Gigabit Letter
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Baronesss Lloyd of Effra
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Digital Economy) Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
100 Parliament Street
London
SWIA 2BQ
Our Ref: SA17775
16 June 2026
Dear Baroness Lloyd,
Thank you for your letter outlining the changes to Project Gigabit in Norfolk.
We are deeply disappointed by this news, and very concerned on behalf of our respective constituents.
Connectivity issues in Norfolk are not new, we have been shouting about them for more than a decade.
Once again, it seems that central government do not see fit for people in rural Norfolk to receive a similar standard of provision to people in urban areas.
To see over 16,000 premises removed from the planned provision for Norfolk, when we are trying to grow our rural economy and improve our quality of living, is a cause of deep concern for us. Rural businesses who need a stronger connection to improve their prospects; young people who need a reliable internet connection for education and training; older people who just want to be able to sustain a video call with the andchildren - none of them should feel this is too much to ask for.
Rural residents and businesses should not feel they are second-class and can be cast aside when supporting them runs into difficulty.
There is now deep uncertainty for many of our rural residents about how their connectivity will be improved, and have been left in the dark at present about what the Government will be doing to ensure there is a plan to get them connected. These are individuals, families and businesses from a range of backgrounds, all facing unique challenges as a result of poor connectivity. As a matter of urgency, they need to know what the future holds for them.
In light of this, we would be keen to meet you at your earliest convenience to understand how the Government plans to support those affected by this news, and how quickly this can be clarified.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Medical Evacuation of Children in Gaza
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The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom
The Rt Hon James Murray MP
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood MP
Secretary of State for the Home Department
22nd May 2026
Dear Secretaries of State,
RE: Medical Evacuation of Children in Gaza
We write to you as a cross-party group of MPs to urge you to reopen and scale up the UK’s medical evacuation programme for patients from Gaza, particularly children.
The war has devastated Gaza’s health sector. Hospitals have been decimated, essential medicines and medical equipment are in short supply, and critical services including oncology, advanced trauma care, cardiac treatment and neurology are largely unavailable. Ongoing restrictions on the entry of supplies continue to exacerbate shortages.
As a result, thousands of critically ill patients in Gaza have no viable pathway to life‑saving treatment, nor is there any realistic prospect that this will change in the near future.
Over 18,500 patients, including approximately 4,000 children, are estimated by the World Health Organization and Gaza’s Ministry of Health to require urgent medical evacuation. Both organisations warn that the true number is likely to be significantly higher due to mass displacement, poor documentation, and severely restricted access to functioning hospitals. Between July 2024 and March 2026, at least 1,092 patients died while waiting for evacuation, an average of 65 preventable deaths every month.
While we acknowledge the medical evacuation of 51 children for treatment in the UK last autumn, this figure remains vanishingly small when set against the scale of need, which continues to grow as conditions in Gaza further deteriorate.
Since October 2025, only 793 patients have been evacuated, compared with 1,700 during the much shorter January–March 2025 ceasefire. Following recent regional escalations, medical evacuations are again suspended entirely, leaving thousands in limbo as their conditions deteriorate. The burden of responding to this crisis has fallen overwhelmingly on a small number of regional states. Egypt, Jordan and the UAE have received 84% of evacuated patients. The regional countries have the expertise, but the needs outstrip any possible capacity to treat those who need it. The UK has the clinical capacity, expertise and moral obligation to do more.
Gaza’s health system cannot be rebuilt overnight, and critically ill patients cannot afford to wait.
We therefore urge you to reopen the UK’s medical evacuation pathway from Gaza without delay, working with international partners to ensure evacuations are predictable, scaled up, and delivered at pace.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Simon Opher MP
Dr Peter Prinsley MP
Dr Scott Arthur MP
Patricia Ferguson MP
Anneliese Dodds MP
Lee Dillon MP
Alex Sobel MP
James Naish MP
Peter Lamb MP
Kirsteen Sullivan MP
Zarah Sultana MP
Chris Hinchcliff MP
Clive Lewis MP
Susan Murray MP
Steve Darling MP
Ian Sollom MP
Layla Moran MP
Colum Eastwood MP
Grahame Morris MP
Andy McDonald MP
Ben Lake MP
Liz Saville Roberts MP
Ann Davies MP
Llinos Medi MP
Afzal Khan MP
Tris Osborne MP
Nadia Whittome MP
Cat Smith MP
Lorraine Beavers MP
Martin Rhodes MP
Iqbal Mohamed MP
Cat Eccles MP
Ian Roome MP
Ian Byrne MP
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
Claire Hanna MP
Marsha de Cordova MP
Jeremy Corbyn MP
Rachael Maskell MP
Diane Abbott MP
John McDonnell MP
Andrew George MP
Mary Glindon MP
Apsana Begum MP
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP
Kim Johnson MP
Paula Barker MP
Torcuil Crichton MP
Órfhlaith Begley MP
Pat Cullen MP
John Finucane MP
Chris Hazzad MP
Dáire Hughes MP
Cathal Mallaghan MP
Paul Maskey MP
Tom Gordon MP
Shockat Adam MP
Alison Hume MP
Lizzi Collinge MP
Imran Hussain MP
Chris Murray MP
Andrew Slaughter MP
Kate Osborne MP
Brian Leishman MP
Vikki Slade MP
Uma Kamaran MP
Graham Leadbitter MP
Brendan O’Hara MP
Tracy Gilbert MP
Emma Lewell MP
Sarah Champion MP
Lee Barron MP
Rupa Huq MP
Ben Maguire MP
Bambos Charalambous MP
Rosie Duffield MP
Hannah Spencer MP
Adrian Ramsay MP
Ellie Chowns MP
Sian Berry MP
Carla Denyer MP
Jas Athwal MP
Dr Beccy Cooper MP
Manuela Perteghella MP
Brian Mathew MP
Monica Harding MP
Matt Western MP
Joe Morris MP
Roz Savage MP
Cameron Thomas MP
Abtisam Mohamed MP
Richard Burgon MP
Stella Creasy MP
Ian Lavery MP
Yasmin Qureshi MP
Josh Babarinde MP
Tahir Ali MP
Debbie Abrahams MP
Steve Witherden MP
Clive Efford MP
Warinder Juss MP
Alison Bennett MP
Liz Jarvis MP
Cross-Party Letter on Fur Sale and Imports May 2026
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Rt Hon Emma Reynolds MP
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
19 May 2026
Dear Secretary of State,
We welcome the Government’s publication of the Animal Welfare Committee’s (AWC) opinion on the
responsible sourcing of fur, and Defra’s summary of responses to the 2021 Call for Evidence on the fur
trade. In light of this growing body of evidence and public support, we are writing to encourage the
Government to now make swift progress on introducing a UK ban on fur sales and imports.
The AWC’s opinion is clear that the welfare needs of animals farmed for fur cannot be met within
existing commercial production systems. It also raises serious concerns about the welfare impacts of
trapping, and concludes that existing assurance schemes and market mechanisms are not sufficient
to safeguard animal welfare. More than 96% of the almost 30,000 respondents to the 2021 Call for
Evidence strongly agreed that killing animals for their fur is wrong. Despite banning fur farming more
than two decades ago, the UK imports millions of pounds worth of animal fur from overseas every
year, creating a double standard.
We are concerned by recent media reports indicating that the EU reset could compromise the UK
Government’s ability to ban fur imports and sales. We would welcome your confirmation that
processed fur articles will not be treated as within scope of the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS)
Agreement. The proposed working group on fur should now be convened without delay and asked to
recommend a pathway for a ban on the import and sale of fur.
We urge the Government to deliver on its recent Animal Welfare Strategy commitment to ‘uphold high
animal welfare standards in trade’ by ending the UK’s role in the global fur trade for good.
We should be grateful to receive your response to this letter.
Yours sincerely,
Ruth Jones
MP for Newport West & Islwyn
Paula Barker MP
Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville
Lorraine Beavers MP
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
Siân Berry MP
Bob Blackman CBE MP
Richard Burgon MP
Irene Campbell MP
Danny Chambers MP
Sarah Champion MP
Dr Ellie Chowns MP
Daisy Cooper MP
Alex Davies-Jones MP
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP
Sarah Dyke MP
Cat Eccles MP
Alex Easton MP
Patricia Ferguson MP
Baroness Fookes DBE
Mary Kelly Foy MP
Baroness Gale
Lord Gascoigne
Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Wera Hobhouse MP
Baroness Helic
Baroness Hussein-Ece OBE
Alison Hume MP
Liz Jarvis MP
Terry Jermy MP
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb
Kim Johnson MP
Clive Lewis MP
Seamus Logan MP
Douglas McAllister MP
Kerry McCarthy MP
Rachael Maskell MP
Abtisam Mohamed MP
Iqbal Mohamed MP
Navendu Mishra MP
Josh Newbury MP
Adrian Ramsay MP
Baroness Redfern
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
Vikki Slade MP
Hannah Spencer MP
Lord Watts
Jo White MP
Nadia Whittome MP
Steve Witherden MP
Baroness Young of Old Scone
Supported by:
Claire Bass, Senior Director Campaigns and Public Affairs, Humane World for Animals UK
Sonul Badiani-Hamment, Country Director, FOUR PAWS UK
David Bowles, Head of Campaigns & Public Affairs, RSPCA
Elisa Allen, Vice President of Programmes and Operations, People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals UK
Iain Green, Director, Animal Aid
Lorraine Platt, Co-founder, CAWF
Mark Glover, Campaigns Director, Respect for Animals
Richard Bissett, Executive Committee, Labour Animal Welfare Society
RE: Windfall tax on those profiting from the war on Iran to tackle the cost of living crisis
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Dear Prime Minister and Chancellor,
RE: Windfall tax on those profiting from the war on Iran to tackle the cost of living crisis
Across the UK, millions are barely staying afloat. Energy bills are bursting family budgets, childcare costs are washing away wages, businesses are struggling, and housing costs have skyrocketed. Many of the greatest problems people in the UK are facing right now will intensify as the impacts of the war on Iran continue to ripple through the economy.
The US-Israeli strikes on Iran as part of an illegal war, have caused chaos, killed civilians and have triggered the largest ever disruption to fuel supply, according to the International Energy Agency, sending crude oil costs surging over $100 per barrel in recent days. This has only worsened after the recent attacks on gasfields and LNG processing facilities in Iran and Qatar, which have caused gas prices to jump to four-year highs, with the impacts to be felt for many months and years to come.
Domestically, UK gas prices have more than doubled since late February. They are now at their highest since August 2022 and are likely to drive up energy bills unless action is taken to protect households and businesses when the next price cap is determined. Meanwhile, households are already grappling with the impacts of jumping fuel price increases, making simply getting by increasingly expensive. At the same time, experts are predicting major disruption to production and imports for agriculture inputs like fertilisers, risking further affordability issues for food and drink essentials in the months to come.
This crisis makes clear that the UK must end its reliance on fuels imported from overseas and invest in domestic renewable energy, to ensure British energy security is not left susceptible to global conflicts, disasters, or trade disputes. This will also help accelerate the UK’s transition toward a low-carbon economy, thereby reducing the likelihood of further economic shocks.
Sadly, there are some clear winners of the war on Iran. Oil and gas giants, big banks, agricultural input industries and defence companies will likely make record profits, at the expense of enormous human suffering. In recent crises, like those triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine, the wealthiest households and super-rich amassed even greater fortunes - to the tune of hundreds of billions of pounds, while millions were left struggling. Time after time, when wars break out, or major crises unfold, companies across different sectors, alongside super-rich individuals, make eye-watering sums of money. North Sea energy firms are set to make bumper profits. According to new data, for every month that energy prices remain at 18th March 2026 levels, profits could result in over £200m in tax revenue through the Energy Profits Levy. Banks reap profits due to the Bank of England’s misguided decision to raise interest rates in response to supply-side inflation. Higher rates are paid by borrowers - whose mortgage costs are already soaring off the back of the Iran crisis - and the Bank of England itself, which pays interest on the risk-free reserves banks hold with them. The latter cost is ultimately borne by the Treasury, currently to the tune of £20bn per year.
It is not right that extraordinary profits, generated off the backs of ordinary people during periods of crisis, are siphoned off into private hands and corporate bank accounts. All whilst households and businesses are in urgent need of substantial support to cope with the affordability crisis. The government’s own cost of living champion has called for measures to prevent profiteering. We urge you to make this crisis a turning point for the UK. Taking bold action to systemically reform our tax system and invest in our energy security will build resilience in our economy to
withstand future shocks and make life affordable for people and businesses in the UK.
We are writing to you today, as leading organisations from civil society, urging you to:
Ensure a permanent and strengthened energy profits mechanism which captures all excess profits made by oil and gas companies - including windfalls during crises - and close all loopholes which encourage further investment in harmful fossil fuels.
Introduce a levy on banks specifically targeting UK retail net income, profits they have made directly from the UK public.
Apply additional excess profits (windfall) taxes to companies in sectors profiteering from this crisis and the war in Iran, for example big agribusiness, the defence industry and associated AI and tech firms.
Invest revenue from excess profits into direct support to households and businesses to help weather the shock of the affordability crisis, alongside accelerating bringing online mass-scale low and zero carbon solutions to build a resilient energy system in the UK.
The billions in revenue from the additional proposed taxes on windfalls from this crisis must be reinvested into providing direct cost of living support and making our economy more resilient to withstand shocks in the future.
We can break free of the war-energy crisis doom loop, invest in renewables and low-carbon solutions, support people to deal with the cost of living crisis and put Britain on a path to better living standards for everyone in this country.
Yours sincerely,
Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this letter along with Sian Berry MP, Carla Denyer MP, Hannah Spencer MP and Dr Ellie Chowns MP. Tax Justice UK, Faiza Shaheen, Executive Director
Greenpeace UK, Areeba Hamid, Co-Executive Director
Global Witness, Mike Davis, CEO
Women’s Budget Group, Dr Daniella Jenkins, Executive Director
National Education Union, Daniel Kebede, General Secretary38Degrees, Matthew McGregor, CEO
PCS Union, Fran Heathcote, General Secretary
Positive Money, Sara Hall, Co-Executive Director
End Fuel Poverty Coalition, Simon Francis, Coordinator
Global Justice Now, Nick Dearden, Executive Director
Autonomy Institute, Will Stronge, Chief Executive
Patriotic Millionaires UK, Rebecca Gowland, Executive Director
Green New Deal Rising
350.org, Anne Jellema, Executive Director
Zero Hour, Amy McDonnell and James Sutton, Co-Executive Directors
Care Full, Ruth Hannan & Hannah Webster, Co-Directors
Stamp Out Poverty, David Hillman, Director
War on Want, Liz McKean, Executive Director
Fairness Foundation, Will Snell, Chief Executive
Compass, Lena Swedlow, Deputy Director
Equality Trust, Priya Sahni-Nicholas and Jo Wittams; Co-Executive Directors
Taxpayers Against Poverty, Tom Burgess, CEO
Debt Justice, Heidi Chow, Executive Director
Fuel Poverty Action, Stuart Bretherton, Campaigns Lead
Mainstream
Women’s Environmental Network, Kate Metcalf, Co-Director
Voices Adfocad, Mike O'Brien, Founder
Tipping Point UK, Louise Hazan, Co-Director
Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland, Lisa Hough- Stewart, Interim Director
WEAll Global, Stewart Wallis, Executive Co Chair
Culture Unstained, Chris Garrard, Co-Director
Possible, Hirra Khan Adeogun & Juliet Michaelson, Co-directors
Cost of Living Action, Conor O'Shea, Campaign Coordinator Financial Transparency Coalition, Matti Kohonen, Executive Director
Conflict and Environment Observatory, Doug Weir, Director
JustMoney Movement, Sarah Edwards, Executive Director
Tipping Point North South, Deborah Burton. Co-founder
New Economics Foundation, Danny Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive
CLES (Centre for Local Economies), Dr Sarah Longlands
Oil Change International, Elizabeth Bast, Executive Director
Letter to the Prime Minister to express our alarm at the UK’s involvement in the illegal US-Israeli war on Iran.
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The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London SW1A 2AA
20 March 2026
Dear Prime Minister,
We are writing as Green Party MPs and Peers to express our alarm at the UK’s involvement in the illegal US-Israeli war on Iran.
Already well over 1,000 civilians have been killed, including a reported 168 children killed by a missile now widely believed to be from the United States (Guardian, 2026). UNICEF has reported that the Israeli military's assault on
Lebanon is killing or injuring the equivalent of one classroom of children every day (Reuters, 2026).
In addition to the grave humanitarian impacts, the longer this illegal, unnecessary war continues, the greater the global economic fallout – to which the UK is particularly exposed because it remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels.
In light of this, there are urgent questions your government must answer:
What steps, if any, is your government taking to ensure that B-1 and B-52 bombers taking off from RAF Fairford are being used for ‘specific, limited defensive purposes’– as you committed to?
What assessment have you made, if any, of how many Iranian civilians have been killed by US bombing missions from British air bases?
Are target lists for US strikes from British soil approved by the Ministry of Defence before each mission or audited afterwards?
Is the US being permitted to load banned cluster munitions at British bases?
What assessment has the government made of the risk of UK-made weapons components being used in violation of international law in Iran, including in the Tomahawk missile systems which may have been involved in the strike on the Shajareh Tayyerbeh girls’s school which killed a reported 168 children and 14 teachers, in the single deadliest known attack so far?
What assessment has the government made of the risk of UK-made weapons components being used by the Israeli government in violation of international law in Lebanon?
The UK is obliged under international law to have no involvement in illegal military action, including the use of UK bases and UK-made weapons. It is therefore of the utmost importance that these questions are answered as a matter of urgency.
This illegal war is inflicting untold suffering and devastation in the region and will cause huge and long lasting human, political, economic and environmental ramifications, as well as the immediate impact on the cost-of-living for our constituents. We, as Green Party MPs and Peers, reiterate our calls for the UK government to:
Withdraw all permission for the US to use UK military bases for attacks on Iran.
End all arms sales to and military cooperation with the Israeli government.
Impose sanctions on government officials responsible for breaches of international law.
Condemn the actions of Trump and Netanyahu for their flagrant violations of international law.
Refuse any further complicity in this illegal war.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Ellie Chowns MP
Carla Denyer MP
Siân Berry MP
Hannah Spencer MP
Adrian Ramsay MP
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb
Letter to the Prime Minister on Bowel Cancer
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The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KC MP
Prime Minister
10 Dowing Street
London
SW1A 2AB
Dear Prime Minister,
Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in the UK, with someone diagnosed every 12
minutes. Around one in four people with bowel cancer will be diagnosed in an emergency
setting, often in A&E when the cancer is usually more advanced, and survival chances are
lower.
We want a future where this no longer happens—a future where symptoms are recognised
early, referrals happen quickly, and screening reaches everyone it should, so bowel cancer is
detected at the earliest possible stage. With 609,000 new bowel cancer cases projected in
England by 2040, we pledge to work with Bowel Cancer UK, and the Government to
prioritise reducing cancer deaths and help build a future where bowel cancer is found early,
not in A&E.
Together, we can ensure fewer families lose loved ones to a disease that is treatable and
survivable if diagnosed sooner.
Yours sincerely,
Danny Beales MP
Uxbridge and South
Ruislip
Paul Davies MP
Colne Valley
Helen Morgan MP
North Shropshire
Jim Dickson MP
Susan Murray MP
Shockat Adam MP
Dartford
Mid Dunbartonshire
Leicester South
Linsey Farnsworth
Jo Platt MP
Rt Hon Stuart Andrew
MP
Leigh and Atherton
MP
Amber Valley
Daventry
Adrian Ramsay MP
Waveney Valley
Tonia Antoniazzi MP
Gower
Brian Leishman MP
Alloa and Grangemouth
Rebecca Long-Bailey
Jim Shannon MP
Strangford
Dr Scott Arthur MP
Edinburgh South West
MP
Salford
Martin Vickers MP
Brigg and Immingham
Bob Blackman MP
Harrow East
Douglas McAllister
MP
West Dunbartonshire
Informing Women of Dense Breasts After NHS Screening
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Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP
Department of Health and Social Care
39 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0EU
6 March 2026
Dear Secretary of State,
Re: Informing Women of Dense Breasts After NHS Screening
As MPs representing constituents affected by breast cancer and breast cancer screening, we
are writing to request urgent action in relation to the UK National Routine Breast Screening
Programme.
Dense breast tissue is present in around 40% of women undergoing mammography.
Standardised terminology to describe breast density has been in use for over 30 years, based on
radiologists’ visual assessment and computer software.
On a mammogram, dense tissue appears white or light grey, like many cancerous tumours. As a
result, cancers can often be missed in women with dense breast tissue. In the UK, it is
estimated that among women attending regular screening, approximately 3,500 breast
cancers each year are not detected because of breast density.
In addition to obscuring cancers, breast density is also associated with an increased risk of
developing breast cancer. These “hidden” cancers may continue to grow unnoticed and are
often diagnosed at a later stage, when treatment options are more limited and outcomes are
poorer. Additional imaging, such as MRI, contrast-enhanced mammography, or ultrasound,
improves the detection of cancers not visible on standard mammography.However, women attending routine NHS breast screening are not informed if they have
dense breasts, nor are they routinely offered additional imaging. In the United States, federal
law since 2024 requires that all women be notified following a mammogram whether their
breasts are classified as “dense” or “not dense”.
International breast experts understand that research and trials to aid early detection can take
years to translate into practice. Cancer does not wait.
Women in the UK deserve access to potentially life-saving information. Being informed of their
breast density empowers women to have meaningful conversations with their clinicians about
risk, to consider appropriate follow-up imaging and, importantly, to remain vigilant about their
breast health.
Many UK breast cancer experts, including breast surgeons, recognise this issue and are
increasingly encouraging women to contact their Members of Parliament to call for change.
We therefore request that you support the Dense Breast Inform campaign and consider
policy changes to ensure women are informed about breast density following screening.
Yours sincerely,
Lee Barron MP
Member of Parliament for Corby and East Northamptonshire
Labour
Steve Yemm MP
Member of Parliament for Mansfield
Labour
Abtisam Mohamed MP
Member of Parliament for Sheffield Central
Labour
Adrian Ramsay MP
Member of Parliament for Waveney Valley
Green Party
Alison Hume MP
Member of Parliament for Scarborough and Whitby
Labour
Allison Gardner MP
Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent South
LabourAmanda Hack MP
Member of Parliament for North West Leicestershire
Labour
Andy McDonald MP
Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East
Labour
Anneliese Midgley MP
Member of Parliament for Knowsley
Labour
Ayoub Khan MP
Member of Parliament for Birmingham Perry Barr
Independent
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
Member of Parliament for Clapham and Brixton Hill
Labour
Brian Leishman MP
Member of Parliament for Alloa and Grangemouth
Labour
Carla Denyer MP
Member of Parliament for Bristol Central
Green Party
Cat Eccles MP
Member of Parliament for Stourbridge
Labour
Chris Webb MP
Member of Parliament for Blackpool South
Labour
Clive Jones MP
Member of Parliament for Wokingham
Liberal Democrat
Clive Lewis MP
Member of Parliament for Norwich South
Labour
Colum Eastwood MP
Member of Parliament for Foyle
Social Democratic and Labour PartyDaisy Cooper MP
Member of Parliament for St Albans
Liberal Democrat
Daniel Francis MP
Member of Parliament for Bexleyheath and Crayford
Labour
David Baines MP
Member of Parliament for St Helens North
Labour
Elaine Stewart MP
Member of Parliament for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
Labour
Ellie Chowns MP
Member of Parliament for North Herefordshire
Green Party
Graeme Downie MP
Member of Parliament for Dunfermline and Dollar
Labour
Grahame Morris MP
Member of Parliament for Easington
Labour
Henry Tufnell MP
Member of Parliament for Mid and South Pembrokeshire
Labour
Ian Byrne MP
Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby
Labour
Ian Lavery MP
Member of Parliament for Blyth and Ashington
Labour
Jess Asato MP
Member of Parliament for Lowestoft
Labour
Jim Dickson MP
Member of Parliament for Dartford
LabourJim Shannon MP
Member of Parliament for Strangford
Democratic Unionist Party
Jo White MP
Member of Parliament for Bassetlaw
Labour
John McDonnell MP
Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington
Labour
John Milne MP
Member of Parliament for Horsham
Liberal Democrat
Josh Newbury MP
Member of Parliament for Cannock Chase
Labour
Kirsteen Sullivan MP
Member of Parliament for Bathgate and Linlithgow
Labour and Co-operative
Lee Dillon MP
Member of Parliament for Newbury
Liberal Democrat
Lorraine Beavers MP
Member of Parliament for Blackpool North and Fleetwood
Labour
Luke Myer MP
Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
Labour
Manuela Perteghella MP
Member of Parliament for Stratford-on-Avon
Liberal Democrat
Matt Turmaine MP
Member of Parliament for Watford
Labour
Michael Wheeler MP
Member of Parliament for Worsley and Eccles
LabourMichelle Scrogham MP
Member of Parliament for Barrow and Furness
Labour
Michelle Welsh MP
Member of Parliament for Sherwood Forest
Labour
Mike Reader MP
Member of Parliament for Northampton South
Labour
Mohammad Yasin MP
Member of Parliament for Bedford
Labour
Nadia Whittome MP
Member of Parliament for Nottingham East
Labour
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP
Member of Parliament for Poole
Labour
Olivia Blake MP
Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam
Labour
Patricia Ferguson MP
Member of Parliament for Glasgow West
Labour
Paul Davies MP
Member of Parliament for Colne Valley
Labour
Paula Barker MP
Member of Parliament for Liverpool Wavertree
Labour
Polly Billington MP
Member of Parliament for East Thanet
Labour
Rachael Maskell MP
Member of Parliament for York Central
Labour and Co-operativeRachel Taylor MP
Member of Parliament for North Warwickshire and Bedworth
Labour
Richard Quigley MP
Member of Parliament for Isle of Wight West
Labour
Ruth Cadbury MP
Member of Parliament for Brentford and Isleworth
Labour
Scott Arthur MP
Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South West
Labour
Sean Woodcock MP
Member of Parliament for Banbury
Labour
Shockat Adam MP
Member of Parliament for Leicester South
Independent
Siân Berry MP
Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion
Green Party
Stella Creasy MP
Member of Parliament for Walthamstow
Labour and Co-operative
Steve Witherden MP
Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr
Labour
Tonia Antoniazzi MP
Member of Parliament for Gower
Labour
Victoria Collins MP
Member of Parliament for Harpenden and Berkhamsted
Liberal Democrat
Wera Hobhouse MP
Member of Parliament for Bath
Liberal Democrat.
Drax internal emails and FCA investigation: cross-party request to review subsidy
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The Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP
Secretary of State Department of Energy Security and Net Zero
18th February 2026
Drax internal emails and FCA investigation: cross-party request to review subsidy
Dear Secretary of State,
We are writing to bring your attention to a tranche of newly released internal correspondence from energy company Drax. This evidence suggests that Drax may have knowingly made misleading claims to the government, parliamentarians, Ofgem, and investors in its response to BBC Panorama’s investigation into Drax’s subsidised sourcing of wood from Canadian forests in 2022.
We are deeply concerned that a company should be in receipt of substantial billpayer subsidy, currently guaranteed until 2031, While it may have knowingly and consistently concealed information of material relevance to its legitimacy as a subsidy recipient.
According to media reports cited below, after the documentary aired, one senior manager wrote “we’ve been saying we don’t source from these forests when it appears we might be.”
This was despite public statements from the CEO stating that the BBC allegations were “false,” “ill-informed” and “promoted by vested interests.” The emails further Suggest Drax was told by lawyers “the legal view contradicts what you’ve put in the public domain.”
Given that the Financial Conduct Authority are currently investigating such “historical statements” made by Drax about their sourcing of pellets, we request that all future UK government contracts with Drax be suspended for the duration of this investigation. We ask you to clarify whether your Department considers Drax to be currently meeting the standards of transparency and compliance expected of a recipient of public subsidy.
We also highlight the quote from Lord Alan Whitehead, Energy Minister on 10th December 2025 “If Drax is non-compliant, the subsidy goes. There is no subsidy in the case of a non-
compliant organisation of any kind. If that happens, it will be the end of Drax”. We therefore
ask what steps you will take to reassess Drax’s eligibility for ongoing and future support
should the FCA investigation substantiate concerns that material information was withheld or
misrepresented.
Recent revelations are covered in the following media reports:
• Rachel Millard, Financial Times, Drax manager questioned public statements on
wood sourcing, tribunal documents show, 30th January 2026
• Jillian Ambrose, The Guardian, Drax insiders privately raised concerns over its
sustainability claims, court papers show, 4th February 2026
• Old Sparky, Private Eye, “Drax: Internal Affairs” Issue 1668, 6-19 Feb 2026
We hope that you share our concern and confirm that you will take decisive action to ensure
that no further subsidy will be awarded if such practice is uncovered.
Yours sincerely,
Adrian Ramsay MP
Alex Sobel MP*
Baroness Boycott
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb
Baroness Young of Old Scone
Barry Gardiner MP
Carla Denyer MP
Chris Hinchliff MP
Ellie Chowns MP
Pippa Heylings MP
Lord Randall of Uxbridge
Sian Berry MP
The Earl of Caithness
Wera Hobhouse MP
Urgent need for Government commitment to progress Ely and Haughley junction improvements
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Urgent need for Government commitment to progress Ely and Haughley junction
improvements
Dear Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt Hon Heidi Alexander MP, and Chief Secretary to the
Treasury, the Rt Hon Darren Jones MP
The Government’s Plan for Change has made delivering economic growth across the UK its central mission. To achieve this, growth must be unlocked across every UK region. We are therefore writing to you to restate the six chief facts that make clear how upgrading Ely and Haughley rail junctions would directly contribute to the Government’s ambition to grow the whole of the UK.
These schemes have been in the pipeline for decades with the case for them strengthening year on year. They are now restricting growth and the country’s progress to cleaner, greener transport connections. We are now calling on Government to commit in this Spending Review to provide Network Rail with the funds to develop the Full Business Case for the Ely Area Capacity Enhancements, so it can be delivered as soon as possible with appropriate phasing, and to provide the relatively low level of funding needed to deliver the Haughley Junction upgrade.
The case for this investment is clear. It would:
1. Enable businesses from Land’s End to John O’Groats: Rail freight from the Port of Felixstowe primarily serves freight terminals in the Midlands, North and Scotland, with the greatest density of goods destinations being cities in the North of England. Unlocking this bottle-neck would increase international trade flows by enabling 2,900 extra freight services to and from the Port of Felixstowe every year, also releasing capacity on rail routes serving the growing Thames ports.
2. Unlock sustainable homes growth: It is anticipated that across the corridors which would see increased passenger services there will need to be 310,00 new homes built by 2404. People in these new communities will be the talent for the high-skilled, high-growth sectors in Cambridge, Peterborough, Norwich and Ipswich.
3. Relieve pressure on our stretched road network: By increasing capacity and reducing bottlenecks, taking 98,000 HGVs off the road and stimulating 277,000 extra rail passenger journeys per year, it will reduce congestion by 5.6 million hours per year. Ely is also referenced in the strategies of Transport for London, Transport for the North and Midlands Connect reflecting the knock-on benefits to capacity in the wider rail and road network.
. Payback the investment 5-fold: The scheme has a remarkably high benefit-cost ratio, returning £4.89 of benefits for every £1 invested. An additional £60m of wider economic benefits has already been identified within the Outline Business Case. However, this does not reflect fully the growth opportunities now centred on Cambridge and Peterborough, or the Freeports.
Align with, and unlock, private sector investment: Hundreds of millions of pounds have already been invested by the private sector in this trade corridor, including in new port capacity, vessels, rail rolling stock and logistics facilities. Only recently £130m has been invested from private sector levies to deepen the channel at the Port of Felixstowe. Public funding for Ely helps match and capture the full value of these prior investments, whilst also unlocking more in the future including upgraded rail freight terminal facilities and new bi-mode locomotives. But it needs clear signals from Government that rail freight capacity will be released.
Deliver greener transport: By supporting modal shift to rail, Ely will remove the need for 98,000 HGV journeys every year, and attract substantially more rail users as evidence of increased passenger frequencies across the East has already demonstrated. It would also reduce carbon emissions by 1.7m tonnes of CO2 over 60 years.
Delaying these projects further will delay national growth and productivity enhancements. We trust
you will view these schemes positively as you determine the Spending Review.
Yours sincerely
Jess Asato MP Co-chair, East of England APPG
Andrew Pakes MP Co-chair, East of England APPG
Marie Goldman MP Vice Chair,East of England APPG
Blake Stephenson MP Vice Chair,East of England APPG
Jack Abbott MP East of England Missions Champion
Alice Macdonald MP East of England Missions Champion
Bayo Alaba MP East of England Business Champion
David Burton-Sampson MP East of England Business Champion
Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by the East of England All-Party Parliamentary Group.