Letter to Andy Burnham MP
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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
