RE: Palestine Solidarity Campaign Rally 18th January 2025
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RE: Palestine Solidarity Campaign Rally 18th January 2025
Dear Home Secretary,
We write concerning the above, and specifically to raise concerns about the manner of the policing and
the apparent denial of civil liberties and freedom to protest.
We are all cautiously relieved that a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has been announced and is currently
being implemented with hostages starting to return to their families and Palestinian detainees being
released.
The hope is that the staged ceasefire and release of hostages and prisoners continues as planned. But
the Palestine solidarity movement remains as pertinent as ever, with Palestinians still facing daily brutal
oppression under Israel’s decades long illegal occupation.
The situation for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is desperate, and the lifting of sanctions against violent
settlers in the West Bank by Donald Trump has already fuelled further violence against Palestinians
living there. It is clear that the injustices experienced by Palestinians continues and remains an
important issue for many millions of UK citizens and for peoples across the world. The regular large
scale protests taking place across the country over the last 15 months have been an important
democratic expression of the strength of public feeling on this issue.
These protests have been very well organised, with 24 national demonstrations each with between
100,000 and a million people attending. They have been peaceful in nature and attended by a broad
range of people and groups – including a prominent Jewish block at every march. Ahead of every march,
the organisers have discussed fully with the Metropolitan Police to ensure their success.
We are deeply troubled, however, by the obstacles put in place by the Metropolitan Police ahead of the
18th January demonstration, as well as the policing on the day. We have spoken to the key figures in the
forefront of the events of the day, listened to their first-hand accounts and viewed the video footage,
and there are some significant issues of concern.
It is very clear from the published footage that the protest organisers announced their intention to send
a small delegation to walk towards the BBC, carrying flowers which they intended to lay there. They
announced that if the police were to stop them proceeding to the BBC, then they would lay the flowers
at the feet of the police instead.
Footage clearly shows the police inviting the delegation to ‘filter through’ from Whitehall into Trafalgar
Square, as opposed to it ‘breaching police lines’ as subsequently alleged. In this context, we fail to see
how the questioning of two Members of Parliament, the charging of Ben Jamal of Palestine Solidarity
Campaign and Chris Nineham of Stop the War Coalition with public order offences, and indeed the assault on Chris Nineham during his arrest, and the interviewing of others under caution, can be
thought justified or in any way appropriate.
There is a direct conflict in the respective positions of officers facilitating the progress of a delegation
to lay flowers, and the allegation by the police that their lines had been forcibly breached. Clearly being
invited to proceed is wholly inconsistent with the allegation of a forcible breach. We invite you to
contrast the web posts and social media posts by the Metropolitan Police and the footage shared by
the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
We know that you will have received many direct representations no doubt detailing the chronology
and the discussions had before and throughout the rally as between the PSC and the Police and we will
not repeat those details here, but we were aghast to learn that Met Commissioner Mark Rowley said
publicly the day after the protest that ‘his force imposed unprecedented restrictions’ on a major
Palestine solidarity rally in London on 18th January that led to 77 arrests.
The changes to public order legislation by the last government, through both the Police, Crime,
Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and through the Public Order Act 2023, were rightly resisted. Civil
society called it, ‘a staggering escalation of the Government’s clampdown on protest’. The Joint
Committee on Human Rights rightly condemned the creation of, ‘a hostile environment for peaceful
protestors.’ And an opposition frontbench reasoned amendment rightly declared this legislation would,
‘erode historic freedoms of peaceful protest’.
The High Court in May this year upheld legal challenges brought by Liberty against the almost “unlimited
powers of the Police” and it is regrettable that the Government is appealing that decision and is
seemingly supporting public order measures which we opposed when in Opposition.
The Government is rightly repealing anti-trade union legislation through the Employment Rights Bill. It
should repeal anti-protest legislation as well. The use of public order legislation passed by the last
Government, should be paused and subject to reconsideration by the Home Office rather than pursuing
use of its devices.
With regards to last weekend’s protest, we ask that you clarify whether there was any discussion
between the Commissioner and the Home Office, or any prior or subsequent engagement or
communication around such a significant change in policy.
If so, could you please advise as to the origins of such a significant change and whether such an
intention was approved in any way.
We believe the charges should be dropped against those unjustly arrested, or unjustly charged,
following the protest. And we ask that the Home Office commission an independent investigation into
the policing of the protest.
It was the former Government which fomented protest and used legislation to repress it, this
Government must demonstrate it is delivering change.
Yours,
1. Diane Abbott MP
2. Shockat Adam MP
3. Órfhlaith Begley MP
4. Apsana Begum MP
5. Baroness Natalie Bennett
6. Sian Berry MP
7. Baroness Christine Blower
8. Baroness Pauline Bryan
9. Richard Burgon MP
10. Ian Byrne MP
11. Ellie Chowns MP
12. Pat Cullen MP
13. Lord Bryn Davies
14. Carla Denyer MP
15. Neil Duncan-Jordan MP
16. John Finucane MP
17. Mary Kelly Foy MP
18. Chris Hazzard MP
19. Lord John Hendy
20. Dáire Hughes MP
21. Adnan Hussain MP
22. Imran Hussain MP
23. Kim Johnson MP
24. Baroness Jenny Jones
25. Ayoub Khan MP
26. Ben Lake MP
27. Ian Lavery MP
28. Chris Law MP
29. Graham Leadbitter MP
30. Brian Leishman MP
31. Clive Lewis MP
32. Andy McDonald MP
33. Cathal Mallaghan MP
34. Rachael Maskell MP
35. Paul Maskey MP
36. Abtisam Mohamed MP
37. Iqbal Mohammed MP
38. Grahame Morris MP
39. Brendan O’Hara MP
40. Simon Opher MP
41. Kate Osborne MP
42. Adrian Ramsay MP
43. Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
44. Lord Prem Sikka
45. Cat Smith MP
46. Euan Stainbank MP
47. Zarah Sultana MP
48. Jon Trickett MP
49. Nadia Whittome MP
50. Steve Witherden MP
51. Lord Tony Woodley
Adrian Ramsay MP has welcomed the Government’s announcement on business rates, after raising the issue in Parliament last week.
29th of January 2026
Adrian Ramsay MP has welcomed the Government’s announcement on business rates, after raising the issue in Parliament last week.
Adrian Ramsay MP, Waveney Valley, has welcomed the Government's announcement, after raising the case of Blue Boar in Walsham le Willows in Parliament last week. Adrian highlighted that, like village pubs across Waveney Valley and around the country, the Blue Boar would have faced significant increases in business rates from this April against a backdrop of rising costs such as national insurance, energy bills and food prices.
Adrian said,
"I was pleased the Minister engaged with me when I raised the impact of business rates on local pubs in Parliament last week. I broadly welcome the news that the Government is reducing and freezing business rates for pubs for the next three years.
“However, for local pubs to really prosper, the Government now needs to use the three year review period to properly engage with independent pubs across the country, particularly in rural communities like Waveney Valley, where pubs are socially and economically essential local businesses at the heart of their communities. This engagement is needed to build a long-term and sustainable future for independent pubs and needs to include things like reviewing VAT which has a big impact on the hospitality sector.”
ENDS
Adrian Ramsay visited Roydon Primary School, where he met with teachers and support staff and looked round the SHIP
29th of January 2026
Green Party MP for Waveney Valley, Adrian Ramsay, recently visited Roydon Primary School in Roydon near Diss, where he met with teachers and support staff and looked round the SHIP, the school’s new classrooms designed to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), which will open to children later this month.
During the visit, Adrian joined the school assembly, where he answered questions from pupils. Following the assembly, he was shown around SHIP (Specialist Hub of Inclusive Practice), where new classrooms have been created to help children with SEND access education in ways that work best for them, helping every pupil reach their full potential.
Adrian said,
“It was great to be shown around the SHIP, the school’s new classrooms supporting children with SEND needs. They provide the right support while keeping children at the heart of the Roydon School community.
"With fantastic new facilities and dedicated staff, this is exactly the kind of provision we need more of. Specialist support within the school benefits the children who are based in the SHIP and strengthens support to the wider school community as well.
"From my casework, it is clear there is a severe shortage of spaces like this. Too many children are not getting the support they need, whether in mainstream settings or alternative provision, and this also places huge pressure on teachers. More funding and support are clearly needed, and I will be responding to the government's forthcoming consultation to make this case and put forward the evidence from Waveney Valley."
More information on SHIP
The SHIP, located in Roydon Primary School, is run by Norfolk County Council and supports children from across a wide area. The provision, which has space for 16 children, has its own entrance and outdoor play area and is based on the same site as Roydon Primary School. This shared site allows all pupils, both in mainstream classes and in the SHIP, to benefit from being part of the same school community. The SHIP will open to pupils after the February half term.
Saving Beagles From Animal Testing
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Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by Save the Begales.
Shabana Mahmood MP
Secretary of State for the Home Department
2 Marsham Street
SW1P 4DF
London
Dear, Shabana Mahmood MP,
We write to you as an incredibly deeply concerned and caring group of public figures and animal lovers. We are calling for the immediate closure of the puppy breeding facility, MBR Acres, as part of an urgent transition away from all animal testing in the United Kingdom.
MBR Acres, as you may know, is a facility in Cambridgeshire with the sole purpose of breeding beagle puppies for the utterly unnecessary animal testing industry - an estimated 2,000 dogs every year. These dogs, often as young as 16 weeks, are regularly experimented upon, with little to no benefit for humans or scientific knowledge.
The United Kingdom is a nation of animal lovers; we are home to the world’s oldest animal charity, the RSPCA, and nearly 40% of our households count a dog as a family member. In the face of this, it is utterly shocking that we continue to subject defenceless puppies to unimaginable pain in the animal testing industry.
This betrayal is even more gut-wrenching because it’s beagles who are chosen - precisely because they are gentle, friendly, affectionate and trusting. These traits make them beloved members of the family. In the lab, they're the perfect victims who won't put up a fight.
The use of animals for testing has, largely, become obsolete. This is not new information. As long ago as 2004, the British Medical Journal raised serious concerns with its reliability, with a paper posing the question: “Where is the evidence that animal research benefits humans?” A 2015 Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics paper concluded, “When considering the ethical justifiability of animal experiments, we should ask if it is ethically acceptable to deprive humans of resources, opportunity, hope, and even their lives by seeking answers in what may be the wrong place. In my view, it would be better to direct resources away from animal experimentation and into developing more accurate, human-based technologies.”
New technologies such as cell culture, organ-on-chip, and in silico testing promise more reliable results, in less time, without the massive suffering and deaths of animals. The future is clear; all that remains is for the right decision to be made to focus on funding and expanding alternatives to testing on animals, like the beagle puppies from MBR Acres. The future is clear; now is the time for the UK to lead the world into an animal-free testing paradigm, instead of clinging to unreliable techniques that are a stain on our nation’s values.
The majority of the public is firmly against the use of animal testing, and now is the time to step up and do the right thing. Shut down MBR Acres, rehome the dogs and let Britain lead the world into a future without animal testing.
Kind Regards,
Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by Save the Begales.
Green MP calls out Government over low-welfare imports
23rd January 2026
Adrian Ramsay says Government is 'importing cruelty' and not allowing British farmers a 'level playing field'
Adrian Ramsay MP, Waveney Valley, has criticised the Government for an incoherent system that undermines British farmers and animal welfare.
Speaking in Parliament, Adrian highlighted the contradiction that the UK rightfully bans many cruel farming practices, yet imports produced in the same way remain legal.
Contributing to the debate, Adrian said:
"What is illegal to produce here because it is too cruel remains legal to import and sell. It undermines public confidence and leaves higher-welfare British farmers facing unfair competition," he said.
UK farmers operate some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world, yet imports of pork, poultry, lamb, and eggs from countries with lower standards have soared. Trade deals risk widening the gap, while public support for banning low-welfare imports is overwhelming.
"According to the RSPCA and Compassion in World Farming, 95 per cent of countries with UK market access have lower animal welfare standards than the UK. HMRC data shows non-EU imports of eggs have more than tripled since 2020, poultry imports have risen by 60%, and pork imports by over 80%. In trade discussions with the United States, Ministers have focused on food safety and sanitary standards, but this narrow focus risks leaving a huge loophole for imports produced in ways that would be illegal here, widening the welfare gap instead of closing it," Adrian added.
Adrian called on the Government to ensure all animal products sold in the UK, domestic or imported, meet British welfare standards and carry clear welfare labelling, closing the loophole once and for all.
Adrian also continues to press for further improvements in UK welfare standards such as ending the use of farrowing crates and cages - with real support for farmers for this transition.
ENDS
Compensating women affected by the Government’s communication of State Pension age changes.
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Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by Steve Darling MP.
The Rt Hon. Pat McFadden MP
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
January 2026
Dear Secretary of State,
Re: Compensating women affected by the Government’s communication of State Pension age changes.
We are writing following the out-of-court settlement reached between WASPI and the Government on 2 December 2025, and your commitment to undertake a full review of all the evidence relating to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO)’s investigation within 12 weeks.
We welcome your acceptance that the Government’s initial decision not to compensate 1950s-born women was flawed, and the new opportunity which has arisen to reconsider the case for compensation and restore public confidence in the independent bodies that exist to hold the executive to account.
Women born in the 1950s have suffered a clear injustice, as detailed in the PHSO’s thorough and comprehensive report which took six years to produce. The investigation concluded those affected were denied the opportunity to make alternative arrangements for their retirement and still suffer the consequences today.
As you know, the PHSO found maladministration in the way the DWP failed to act on its own research which showed that significant numbers of 1950s-born women did not know about forthcoming increases to their State Pension age. The DWP has yet to explain why this occurred.
The Government was right to carefully reconsider its position on the Winter Fuel Payment, Personal Independence Payments, and most recently, inheritance tax relief on agricultural properties. We hope the coming weeks will allow you to reach the right decision for 1950s-born women.
We urge you to update the House on your plans to ensure that women born in the 1950s are finally treated fairly and properly compensated at your earliest convenience, or by 24th February 2026 at the latest.
We look forward to your response.
Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by Steve Darling MP.
Green MP demands tougher powers for environmental watchdog after damning OEP report.
13th of January 2026
Green MP demands tougher powers for environmental watchdog after damning OEP report.
Adrian Ramsay, MP for Waveney Valley and DEFRA lead for the Green MPs, said:
"Today’s Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) report lays bare the scale of the crisis and is a deeply damning indictment of the environmental record of successive governments. The report shows that the majority of the ten environmental targets set out in the Environment Act 2021 have little to no chance of being met by 2030.
"Rather than stepping up action, the Government is actively advancing policies that will further damage it, leaving little realistic chance of stopping the decline of iconic British species such as the hedgehog and red squirrel by 2030. The Government must recognise that halting and reversing the decline of nature is central to our wellbeing and to food security as well as a healthy environment.
"If the Government is serious about its climate and biodiversity commitments, it must give the OEP real teeth, including the power to sanction and fine Government departments and local authorities that fail to meet legally binding targets. This would not be an overreach. It would simply restore the level of environmental accountability that existed before Brexit. Without these powers, the OEP risks becoming a watchdog that can bark but cannot bite, while environmental targets remain unmet and nature continues to decline."
UK-Australia-Canada open letter calling to End Frozen Pensions
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Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by the End Frozen Pensions campaign.
Dear Prime Minister,
We recognise and cherish the deep and enduring relationship between Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, which has been built on shared history, values, and mutual respect.
As members of our respective Parliaments, we express our concern regarding the United Kingdom’s frozen pensions policy, which treats UK state pensioners residing in Australia and Canada differently from those residing in other overseas countries (such as the USA, Philippines, Israel and Türkiye). This policy unfairly denies annual pension uprating to pensioners now living in Australia and Canada, despite them having made contributions to the UK National Insurance system under the same rules as pensioners living elsewhere.
We urge the British Government to negotiate new reciprocal social security agreements with Australia and with Canada to end this longstanding inequity and ensure fair treatment for all UK pensioners.
We would be grateful for an urgent response.
Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by the End Frozen Pensions campaign.
Settlement Rights Open Letter
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The Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood MP
Secretary of State for the Home Department
2 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF
11th January 2026
Dear Home Secretary,
We the undersigned write to express our concern with the Government’s proposals to restrict settlement rights. They are unfair towards migrant workers who have put down roots, contributed to their communities and built lives here. This will undermine public services, social integration and the wider economy.
The British public believe in fair play: that if you work hard, follow the rules and contribute, that Government should tread lightly on your life. The proposal to double the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain to 10 years, rising to 15 years for those such as care workers, wrongly deemed “low-skilled”, alongside new conditionality is deeply unfair.
The proposals to change settlement rules would pull the rug from under migrant workers, including in social care who provide dignity and comfort to our loved ones, often in difficult conditions and for low pay. The Government must uphold its promises – we cannot simply change the rules halfway through an agreed process.
These proposals undermine the Government’s priorities for economic growth, reducing child poverty and strong public services. For instance, adult social care already faces around 110,000 vacancies, and as we await the Casey Review and the Fair Pay Agreement, these proposals risk pushing the sector closer to breaking point. While we support efforts to grow and train the domestic workforce, this is a separate task. Restricting the rights of the workers keeping the sector running will not grow the domestic workforce – it will only worsen care provision.
We make the following recommendations to the Home Office:
Halt the consultation process until a full Impact Assessment is published: The Government is making sweeping immigration reforms without transparency regarding its own forecasts on the economy, public services and communities with protected characteristics. It must restart the process with an Impact Assessment, together with a Child Rights Impact Assessment, with the starting point of treating people fairly as well as supporting the economy and public services.
Rule out retrospective application: The Government must immediately rule out applying new immigration rules to migrant families already in the UK. Thousands of families have planned their lives around current rules.
Upholding fairness, trust in Government and the dignity of work are core British values and essential to building
a country that works for everyone.
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP Andrea Egan Dr. Dora-Olivia Vicol,
Unison, General Secretary Work Rights Centre, CEO
Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by Neil Duncan-Jordan MP.
Letter to the Home Secretary on Gaza Students Policy
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INSERT HERE
The Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood MP
Home Secretary
6 January 2026
Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by Abtisam Mohamed MP.
Dear Home Secretary,
We are writing to urgently to request a meeting regarding the Government’s evacuation policy
for scholarship students from Gaza, which ended on 31 December 2025.
From the initial application process through to the evacuation stage, students in Gaza have
faced delays, uncertainty, and confusion amid the daily horrors of life under bombardment and
siege. Despite this, dozens have successfully navigated the system and arrived here to start
their studies.
They were able to do so as new guidance confirmed the UK Government’s commitment to the
evacuation of scholarship students, as well as a further agreement for the evacuation of their
dependents. This was extremely welcome.
However, we understand that very few have been evacuated under the agreed policy for
dependents. In December, students were informed that despite previous assurances, no
dependents would be evacuated before the end of the scheme, and that students should take
the opportunity to leave Gaza without them. This included PhD student Mohammed Aldalou
bound for LSE, who has a severely autistic child and was expected to leave him behind in
Gaza.
PhD student Manar al Houbi campaigned for months to be able to take up her place at the
University of Glasgow. She was told repeatedly to either to leave Gaza without her spouse
and children, or to remain behind with her family in danger, abandoning her course.
Manar and her family were eventually evacuated at the end of last year, but this was not the
case for the rest who are still waiting. The wider scheme has now ended; and there is no
confirmed extension to the policy, which is causing extraordinary pressure and uncertainty for
the students. Time is critically short, and we believe that at the very least, an extension of this
scheme would bring both the compassion and the stability needed in these circumstances.
We would be grateful for an urgent response.
Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by Abtisam Mohamed MP.
Requesting Meeting on Trophy Hunting BanInbox
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Dear Secretary of State,
We are writing to request an urgent meeting.
We applaud many of the measures in the government’s new Animal Welfare Strategy. However, we were surprised and disappointed that banning imports of hunting trophies did not feature.
We are also concerned at suggestions that a ban may be highly selective. You previously stated that you sought to “ban the import of any goods that are related to trophy hunting.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKsLggGf5rY)
Several reports have spelt out the shocking cruelty involved in trophy hunting. This is an issue about which voters feel very strongly. It is also an issue about which there is virtual consensus in Parliament.
We would therefore be grateful if you would agree to a meeting at the earliest available opportunity to clarify both the scope of the government’s proposed ban and the timeline for introducing legislation.
Yours sincerely,
,
Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting.
Letter to the Prime Minister urging a review of the business rates changes in the November 2025 budget.
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Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by the Music Venue Trust.
Keir Starmer MP
Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London
SW1A 2AA
Xx December 2025
Dear Prime Minister,
We are writing to express our deep concern regarding the decisions on business rates announced in the November 2025 Budget, which will have severe consequences for grassroots music venues (GMVs) across England.
We acknowledge the Government’s intended interventions to ease bills from business rates, including the transitional relief scheme and lower tax multipliers for hospitality. For grassroots music venues, however, these measures merely address symptoms rather than fixing the underlying problem.
Analysis of the incoming 2026 Rateable Values from the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), conducted by Music Venue Trust (MVT), reveals a catastrophic picture. The GMV sector faces a collective £7.2 million increase in its tax base. Hundreds of venues will see rises of over 50% in their Rateable Value, with dozens experiencing increases of 100%, 200%, or more. In some cases, venues that have never previously been liable for business rates will now face bills of thousands of pounds. For venues operating on passion and razor-thin margins, these are not bills - they are closure notices.
Grassroots music venues are at the heart of communities and our constituencies. They provide jobs, entertainment, access to local culture, and vital platforms for emerging artists. Yet the VOA’s methodology values them solely as commercial property, blind to their cultural role, community function, and contribution as the research and development engine of the UK’s world-leading music industry.
This creates a direct contradiction: while the Government’s Creative Industries Sector Plan seeks to drive growth through culture, the VOA’s approach dismantles the very infrastructure on which that plan depends.
The November 2025 Budget compounds this crisis by reducing rate relief from 40% to zero, following the 2024 cut from 75% to 40%. The lower multiplier means a further reduction down to 12% instead of 40%. In 2024, the entire sector of 810 venues returned a gross profit of just £2.5 million yet was asked to absorb £7 million in additional premises taxes. Transitional relief cannot bridge this gap, nor that created by higher rateable values. Data from MVT shows that a venue with a rateable value of £30,000 will see its bill rise from £8,000 under 40% relief in 2025 to £11,000 with no relief in 2026, even on the lowest multiplier.
MVT projects that around 600 GMVs in England face an average 28% increase in business rates, with some reporting rises of 91%. Based on 2025 data, this will directly close 80–120 venues, place another 120–180 at risk, and lead to 200–300 closures over the next four to five years.
Of the 801 GMVs identified in 2025, 38.1% were registered as not for-profit entities, a 15.4% increase on 2024. Despite this number, very few venues receive discretionary rate relief due to dwindling local authority resources. MVT has repeatedly explored multiple avenues with local authorities to aid venues with business rates but, like transitional rate relief, it is merely a sticking plaster on a much deeper wound, and one that is now very rarely a viable option.
HMRC’s fiscal rules further exacerbate the crisis, as operators who can foresee future insolvency risk being deemed to trade recklessly. Once closed, these venues will not be replaced.
The fundamental flaw remains: the system is designed to value property, not cultural purpose. As long as venues are treated as speculative assets rather than cultural utilities, relief measures, however welcome, amount only to temporary stays of execution.
We therefore support the Music Venue Trust’s call for the immediate implementation of an emergency 40% rate relief for GMVs, akin to the relief granted to film studios in 2034, recognising GMVs as critical creative infrastructure.
Reform to date has not gone far enough and the effect on this sector is chilling. Events in these local GMVs sustain high streets across the UK by bringing visitors willing to spend money in hotels, bars, restaurants, shops, and taxis and other businesses.
Without urgent and thoughtful policy solutions, the outcome will be the continued closure of GMVs, with devastating consequences for communities, culture, and the UK’s music industry.
We urge you to act swiftly to safeguard this vital part of our national cultural infrastructure by introducing emergency rate relief for grassroots music venues and establishing a rapid inquiry into the valuation methods for event spaces.
Kind regards
Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by the Music Venue Trust.
Letter on Agriculture in Palestine
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Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by Steve Witherden MP.
Hamish Falconer MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
19th December 2025
Dear Minister Falconer,
Agriculture has long been central to livelihoods and food security in Gaza. Yet widespread
destruction of farmland, irrigation systems, and storage facilities has devastated production.
Restrictions on seed imports, the lack of locally produced fertilisers and pesticides, and soil
degradation have deepened reliance on food aid. The Israeli Government’s blockade of aid into
the region has led to widespread famine and malnutrition, with children, older people and those
with pre-existing health conditions the most affected.
The UK Government should help establish humanitarian corridors for agricultural inputs -
including seeds, fertilisers, and machinery - and strengthen local food systems to reduce
dependency and restore dignity. Soil contamination and the loss of resilient seed varieties also
require urgent assessment and restoration to safeguard future harvests and resilience.
Agriculture has always been a key source of income and employment across Palestine, with
people frequently working into older age alongside their families. Older farmers who have lived
through recurrent conflict, hold the traditional knowledge to recover the local food systems for
their communities. But access to cultivable land remains limited, with mines, rubble, and
destroyed infrastructure preventing safe farming. The UK should facilitate debris clearance and
land rehabilitation, provide basic tools and seeds to smallholder farmers, and promote shared-
resource farming models that enable collective recovery and market access.
Following the UK’s recognition of a Palestinian state, restoring land access and sovereignty is
vital. Many farmers cannot reclaim or cultivate land that has been destroyed, contaminated, or
deliberately targeted and without access to the right equipment. The UK should support land
clearance and safe certification, implement soil regeneration and replanting programmes, and
advocate for farmers’ land rights as part of a recovery that leaves no one behind.
Agricultural relief must intentionally include all marginalised groups – older people, children,
women, and people with disabilities - who are essential to rebuilding Gaza’s agricultural
foundation and ensuring a sustainable, dignified future.
This letter was written alongside Age International, and we hope that you will be able to meet
with us to discuss this further. We look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
Steve Witherden MP
Diane Abbott MP
Shockat Adam MP
Bell Ribeiro Addy MP
Baroness Alexander of Cleveden
Tahir Ali MP
Josh Babarinde MP
Paula Barker MP
Lorraine Beavers MP
Apsana Begum MP
Sian Berry MP
Olivia Blake MP
Baroness Blower
Richard Burgon MP
Dawn Butler MP
Ian Byrne MP
Wendy Chamberlain MP
Sarah Champion MP
Dr Ellie Chowns MP
Marsha De Cordova MP
Jeremy Corbyn MP
Steve Darling MP
Ann Davies MP
Carla Denyer MP
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP
Colum Eastwood MP
Sorcha Eastwood MP
Cat Eccles MP
Tim Farron MP
Andrew George MP
Rachel Gilmour MP
Patricia Ferguson MP
Mary Kelly Foy MP
Claire Hanna MP
Lord Hendy KC
Chris Hinchliffe MP
Adnan Hussain MP
Imran Hussain MP
Baroness Hussein-Ece
Liz Jarvis MP
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 Lister of Burtersett
Seamus Logan MP
Rebecca Long-Bailey MP
Rachael Maskell MP
Andy McDonald MP
John McDonnell MP
Llinos Medi MP
John Milne MP
Abtisam Mohamed MP
Iqbal Mohamed MP
Layla Moran MP
Grahame Morris MP
Lord Oates
Brendan O'Hara MP
Dr Simon Opher MP
Kate Osborne MP
Manuela Perteghella MP
Yasmin Qureshi MP
Adrian Ramsay MP
Martin Rhodes MP
Liz Saville Roberts MP
Roz Savage MP
Baroness Sheehan
Lord Singh of Wimbledon
Vikki Slade MP
Cat Smith MP
Jamie Stone MP
Lord Soames of Fletching
Alex Sobel MP
Jon Trickett MP
Valerie Vaz MP
Nadia Whittome MP
Lord Woodley
Mohammad Yasin MP
Adrian Ramsay, has welcomed the Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy, published today, but warned that it must have real teeth to deliver meaningful improvements for animals.
22nd of December 2025
Green MP for Waveney Valley, Adrian Ramsay, has welcomed the Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy, published today, but warned that it must have real teeth to deliver meaningful improvements for animals.
Adrian Ramsay said:
“There is much to welcome in the Animal Welfare Strategy, but it must have real teeth to deliver for animals. Ministers must set clear timescales to phase out crates and cages, properly support farmers through the transition and not allow imports that don’t meet UK standards.
“I welcome the action on snares, hunting and puppy farming. Puppy legislation must end breeding for extreme, unhealthy traits in dogs. The strategy could go further for animals, particularly by ending greyhound racing, as the Welsh Government is doing.
“Ending the use of farrowing crates and cages – as we called for in the cross-party letter I organised – is particularly crucial for tackling cruelty, and the strategy must set out how and when this will happen.”
Hunger Strikers - request for urgent meeting with David Lammy MP
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Dear Secretary of State,
We the undersigned MPs, are writing to implore you to meet with Imran Khan & Partners, the lawyers representing the 8 prisoners on hunger strike, immediately.
We note that Imran Khan & Partners wrote to you on the 9th December imploring you to meet with them "before our client’s health deteriorates beyond any possible recovery”. We draw your attention to the section of the letter which details the exceptionally urgent medical status of the prisoners, five of whom have already been hospitalised more than once. In particular the following extremely serious symptoms: pulse above 100 beats per minute, ketone levels above 4 (when they should be 0 in a non-diabetic person), weight loss of more than 10kg, deteriorating vision, shortness of breath, low blood pressure, hypoglycaemia, shallow breath, and signs of memory loss.
We are growing increasingly dismayed at the government’s lack of action to protect the health and well being of British citizens.
If you will not meet with the MPs who are representing the hunger strikers and their loved ones, then we plead with you to urgently meet with their solicitors and act to prevent a catastrophe.
Yours sincerely,
Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by Rt Hon Jeremy Corbyn MP.
It is time to end the cruelty of cages and crates in UK farming
Originally published on the 12th of December 2025 on https://www.farmersguardian.com/blog/4523182/exclusive-adrian-ramsay-end-cruelty-cages-crates-uk-farming
The UK likes to believe it leads the world on animal welfare. We tell ourselves that we set high standards and that our farms reflect the compassion we hold so dear as a nation. Yet each year, millions of animals are trapped in conditions we would not allow our dogs or cats to endure. In far too many cases, hens are still confined to cages that offer less space than a sheet of A4 paper. Sows remain locked inside farrowing crates for weeks at a time, unable to turn around. Calves begin their lives alone in narrow pens that restrict natural movement. All of this continues despite mounting evidence, clear public concern, and workable alternatives.
Later this month, the Government is due to publish its Animal Welfare Strategy. It is a chance to meaningfully improve the lives of farmed animals. I led a group of 36 MPs and Lords from across the political spectrum, urging the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs to use the animal welfare strategy to move towards a more humane treatment of farmed animals. This must start with a time-bound plan to phase out the use of confinement cages and crates in our farming system. However, regulation alone is not enough. The Government must offer financial and practical support to farmers so they can move to higher-welfare systems with confidence.
From talking with the NFU and farmers across my East Anglian constituency, it is clear that many support high welfare standards, and that they would welcome government support for improving welfare standards. They also often feel undercut by the megafarms – huge industrial units of hundreds of thousands of chickens or many thousands of pigs – which are becoming commonplace in East Anglia. Or they feel squeezed by the supermarkets driving down prices. Both these issues need simultaneous government action.
You might ask, Adrian, is this really a big issue? Well, there are almost eight million laying hens remaining in cages where they cannot even stretch their wings. About two hundred thousand pigs spend close to a quarter of their adult lives in farrowing crates. These animals live in conditions that deny their most basic instincts. Many countries in Europe have already recognised this and acted. They are moving away from cages for hens. Some, like Switzerland and Norway, have banned farrowing crates entirely. Research from Humane World for Animals shows that more than two-thirds of people in the UK oppose the use of farrowing crates, so there is growing public support to move towards a more humane system.
In our letter to the Secretary of State, we set out what must be done to bring the UK into line with international best practice. First, the Animal Welfare Strategy should set a timeline for the phase-out of farrowing crates, individual calf pens, and all cages used for birds. Second, the Government must back a funded transition package so that farmers can invest in new housing and management systems for their animals. Finally, stronger enforcement is essential. Too many existing laws go unmonitored and unenforced. New research from the Animal Law Foundation reveals that only 2.2% of UK farms were inspected in 2024, meaning 97.8% of farms received no official welfare visit at all. That means nearly all farms received no visit at all. This leaves both animals and law-abiding farmers at risk, while sending the wrong message to those, who do not follow the regulations. That means nearly all farms received no visit at all. This leaves both animals and law-abiding farmers at risk, while sending the wrong message to those who cut corners.
I was recently at an event where the problem was perfectly summed up. A country cannot claim leadership in animal protection while failing to check that its own laws are followed. When violations rarely lead to consequences, poor practice goes unchallenged. We would not tolerate it in any other regulatory area, nor should we accept it when animals are involved.
Alongside these measures, Greens would like to see trade rules reformed so that imports cannot be allowed where they fail to meet the same standards as are required in UK production. This is fundamental to supporting our farmers. We would also like to see action on supermarkets to stop the practice of driving down prices they pay to farmers to levels that stop farmers making a real living.
And of course, there are many other areas where I am advocating for farmers, such as the need for the Sustainable Farming Incentive to be reopened and put on a long-term footing that farmers can rely on – to help advance nature-friendly farming. Plus, I am pressing the Government to rethink its place on Agricultural Property Relief so that ordinary family farms are not impacted.
On my proposals for the Animal Welfare Strategy, many farmers already lead the way, and many more would join them if given the tools to do so. Higher welfare farming is part of a resilient food system because it supports healthier animals, reduces the risk of disease outbreaks and creates steadier supply chains that are less vulnerable to shocks. The Animal Welfare Strategy provides an opportunity to make improvements that reflect who we are as a country, while providing essential support to farmers for this transition. There’s strong public support for these changes and I hope the government delivers.
Proposed Restrictions on the Use of Terms Such as “Burger” and “Sausage” for Plant Based Foods
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Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by the Vegetarian Society.
LETTER TO MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
From Members of Parliament of the United Kingdom
Re: Proposed Restrictions on the Use of Terms Such as “Burger” and “Sausage” for Plant Based Foods
06/12/2025
Dear Commissioners,
We write as members of the UK Parliament to express our deep concern regarding the proposed ban on the use of everyday, well-understood food terms, such as ‘burger’, ‘sausage’, and similar descriptors, when used for plant-based products. Although the United Kingdom is no longer a member of the European Union, our markets, companies, consumers, and regulatory conversations remain closely intertwined. Decisions taken at EU level continue to influence global norms, international trade, and the direction of sustainable food innovation.
We urge you not to adopt these restrictions, as we are deeply concerned about the significant global impact they could have. The evidence is clear: existing legislation already protects consumers; consumers themselves overwhelmingly understand and support current naming conventions; and new restrictions would undermine economic growth, sustainability goals, and the EU’s own simplification agenda.
1. Current legislation already ensures consumer protection
The Food Information to Consumers (FIC) Regulation provides extensive safeguards against consumer confusion. The European Court of Justice confirmed in Case C-438/23 that the current legislative framework is fully adequate to protect and inform consumers and to address misleading presentation when it arises1.
The Court also reiterated that existing rules already mandate transparency when expected ingredients are substituted - requirements that plant-based producers consistently follow.
This position has also been acknowledged at multiple points by the European Commission (see 2020 response2, 2022 response3 and 2024 response4).
2. Most consumers are not confused, however, a ban could increase confusion
1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:62023CJ0438
2 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2020-004966-ASW_EN.html 3 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2022-002681-ASW_EN.html 4 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-10-2024-002312-ASW_EN.html
Research consistently shows that consumers intentionally choose plant-based alternatives and do not confuse them with animal meat.
The Advocate-General’s Opinion (Capeta, 2024) explicitly warns that banning familiar food terms could increase confusion, not reduce it5. Empirical studies reinforce this finding:
• BEUC study (2020): ~80% support use of terms like ‘veggie burger’6 • Smart Protein (2023): Only 9% of consumers do not recognise plant-based meat alternatives7
• Germany (2022): 92% identify plant-based alternatives correctly8
• Spain (2021): Only 13% oppose plant-based use of traditional terms9 • Portugal (2021): >95% understand that plant-based alternatives contain no animal meat10
• Greece (2024): ~82% do not oppose current naming11
• Empirical study on label clarity (Gleckel, 2020)12
These findings show an overwhelming pattern; most European consumers understand the terminology for plant-based foods well.
3. The proposed ban undermines competitiveness, innovation, and the single market
Introducing a denomination ban would run counter to the EU’s commitments on simplification and competitiveness. It would create administrative burdens, force companies to redesign packaging, and generate inconsistencies across languages and Member States.
This is particularly problematic given the rapid growth of the plant-based market: • Europe remains the world’s largest consumer market for plant-based alternatives13
5
https://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=289831&pageIndex=0&doclang=en&mo de=req
6 https://www.beuc.eu/sites/default/files/publications/beuc-x-2020-
042_consumers_and_the_transition_to_sustainable_food.pdf
7 https://smartproteinproject.eu/wp-content/uploads/Smart-Protein-European-Consumer-Survey_2023.pdf 8 https://www.vzbv.de/sites/default/files/2022-
04/220307_IFH%20K%C3%96LN_Verbraucherzentrale_Kennzeichnung%20von%20Ersatzprodukten_final.p df9 https://proveg.com/es/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/Resultados-estudio-nomenclatura-alimentos vegetales.pdf
10 https://www.atrevia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Relatorio_Upfield_FINAL_UCP.pdf 11 https://hellasveg.gr/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/survey-2024-final_EN.pdf
12https://ssrn.com/abstract=3727710
13 https://gfi.org/resource/plant-based-meat-eggs-and-dairy-state-of-the-industry-report
• The EU market grew 21% between 2020 and 202214
• Consumer trends show rising flexitarianism and reduced meat consumption15 • 31% of Europeans are reducing meat intake16
• Economic modelling demonstrates substantial opportunities: Plant-based dietary shifts could increase farm incomes by up to 71%17
• Alternative proteins could create 83 million jobs globally by 205018 • This sector is also a major opportunity for European farmers, with most crops used in plant-based dairy grown inside the EU (ProVeg International, 2022).
4. Plant-based foods support climate goals and European food security
Alternative proteins offer some of the highest emissions-reduction returns per euro invested, outperforming investments in electric vehicles and green building initiatives19.
They are also identified as one of the key ‘super-leverage points’ that can accelerate transitions across multiple sectors. Meldrum et al. (2023): The Breakthrough Effect.
Greater cultivation of pulses and legumes improves soil fertility and reduces fertiliser dependency, lowering production costs20,21. All of this shows that expanding plant-based options is aligned with environmental, economic, and food-security goals.
Conclusion
We recognise the importance of protecting consumers and ensuring clarity in food labelling. However, the evidence is unequivocal:
• Current EU law already provides full protection
• Consumers overwhelmingly understand and support the existing naming system • The proposed restrictions could damage competitiveness, innovation, and climate progress.
Clear labelling, not unnecessary terminology bans, is the best approach for consumers, producers, and the future of sustainable European food systems.
14 https://gfieurope.org/market-insights-on-european-plant-based-sales-2020-2022/ 15 https://smartproteinproject.eu/market-research/
16 https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2954
17 https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-9552.12530
18 https://www.climateworks.org/ginas-methane/
19 https://www.bcg.com/publications/2022/combating-climate-crisis-with-alternative-protein 20 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.03.024
21 https://doi.org/10.1002/fes3.175
We therefore urge the Commission to reject these restrictions and maintain the current, proportionate, effective regulatory framework, which we firmly believe sets the global standard for best practice.
Yours sincerely,
Members of Parliament of the United Kingdom
Siân Berry MP
Irene Campbell MP
Jeremy Corbyn MP
Carla Denyer MP
Kerry McCarthy MP
Navendu Mishra MP
Adrian Ramsay MP
Alex Sobel MP
Also supported by:
The McCartney Family
Call it a reset, call it a “plan for change”, the Prime Minister’s administration was in desperate need of a relaunch
6th of December 2025
Call it a reset, call it a “plan for change”, the Prime Minister’s administration was in desperate need of a relaunch. Labour have had a shaky first few months, peppered with mis-steps from the ending of the winter fuel allowance to a budget which penalises small businesses and employers and won’t deliver improved living standards for people.
So now we have the Government’s new priorities from housing to NHS waiting lists to early years education. The ambition for Britain to be a clean energy superpower squeezes on to the list but, disappointingly, the ambition has been weakened to 95% clean power by 2030 – the same target set by the previous Conservative government.
What’s more disappointing is the silence on how we should be adapting to the impacts of climate breakdown which are affecting our communities now.
Even if we manage to limit global heating to 1.5C, and that looks more and more unlikely as emissions continue to grow and global efforts to decarbonise falter, significant changes to the climate and our weather systems are baked in. That means the UK faces more frequent severe flooding and more summer heatwaves.
We were all shocked this autumn by the images from Spain as the Valencia region was hit by devastating floods which destroyed homes, bridges, roads and cost hundreds of lives. The cost to the Spanish economy is huge. The Valencia region has asked for over 30 billion Euros in relief and the insurance costs are expected to run to several billion more.
Are we so confident that similar catastrophic flooding couldn’t happen here in the UK? The storms which hit parts of England and Wales this autumn were nothing like as severe as those in Spain yet they still led to hundreds of homes in the Midlands and South being flooded, exposing the total inadequacy of our flood defences. More than half the population say they’re not equipped to deal with flooding and the damage it would cause to their home.
The need to adapt to a different, more unstable climate shouldn’t come as a surprise to Government. Its own advisers, the Climate Change Committee, issued a review of the National Adaptation Programme earlier this year and it was scathing.
The UK is falling far short of what’s needed. The adaptation plans lack the pace and ambition to address the climate risks which are happening now. Fewer than half of the short-term actions needed to address the most urgent risks are in progress. There is no vision and the current approach isn’t working.
So while I welcome the Government’s ambition to make the UK a clean energy super-power to reduce our carbon emissions, ministers aren’t addressing the need to adapt and build up resilience now. And in some respects, we’re moving backwards.
Take the ambition for more house building. We urgently need more homes, especially more affordable homes and homes built for social rent. But building on floodplains not only condemns future owners to the misery of likely flooding, it also stops the land absorbing and holding back floodwater as nature intended.
Allowing floodplains to do their job isn’t the only nature-based solution that is being overlooked. We need to un-do the damage of previous generations and re-plant hedgerows and trees, rewind rivers and create ponds to hold back floodwaters. Nature is our ally in adapting to a changed climate: we shouldn’t ignore it.
Flooding is not the only risk to people’s livelihoods and the economy. So is extreme heat. We have already seen temperatures of above 40C in the UK which scientists say have happened only because of climate change. Our infrastructure needs to be resilient to these extreme temperatures so railways don’t buckle and people don’t bake in their homes. Retrofitting homes isn’t only about insulation to keep people warm in winter. It’s also about methods to keep them cool in summer. Over half of homes are at risk of over-heating which gives a sense of the scale of the challenge. On this, the Government has nothing to say.
Nor should we ignore the impact extreme temperatures have on our food security. The Climate Change Committee warned five years ago that more frequent weather extremes would damage crops and livestock, making food prices more volatile. Biodiversity loss could have an even greater impact, leaving crops more vulnerable to pests and pathogens.
So yes, Prime Minister, your Government needed a reset. But you’ve missed a critical mission – a national adaptation plan to safeguard our food security, better prepare the country for a future of more extreme weather and put nature at the heart of our response to climate change.
Giving staff time to travel sustainably is smart business - letter for the Financial Times
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Adrian Ramsay MP co-signed this cross-party letter initiated by We Are Possible.Giving staff time to travel sustainably is smart business
Many employees would choose low-carbon travel for their holidays if they did not have to forfeit precious time off work. Sustainable Travel Leave, pioneered by the charity Possible, offers a simple fix: grant a small amount of extra paid leave when staff choose trains, coaches or ferries instead of flying.
The principle is straightforward. A London–Berlin rail journey cuts emissions by roughly 92% but takes seven hours longer than flying. Under the Sustainable Travel Leave policy, employers cover that additional time with a modest leave allowance.
Possible has already supported almost 200 employers to adopt the policy, and it is now spreading internationally as standard practice. Employees can make lower-carbon choices; employers face minimal disruption.
Six years’ worth of data shows that the extra amount of leave taken averages just three minutes per employee per month. Yet participating organisations report measurable gains: 74% say it increases staff motivation and wellbeing, 67% say it has aided recruitment efforts, and 81% say it helps embed sustainability across their operations.
We are calling on the Cabinet Office to offer Sustainable Travel Leave within the Civil Service. It is an ultra low-cost way to align workplace practice with the Government’s net-zero strategy while improving the public-sector employee offer. It also signals credible leadership at a time when voters expect consistency between climate ambition and day-to-day decisions. Crucially, it requires no new regulation, no subsidy and no complex administration.
The UK has repeatedly shown that people embrace climate-positive measures when they are practical and fair. Allowing employees modest time to travel responsibly is exactly that: commercially sensible, reputationally valuable and operationally light. It should become a standard part of the modern employment offer, in Whitehall and beyond.
Adrian celebrates small and independent businesses and encourages everyone to show their support in the lead up to Christmas
4th December 2025
This week, in the lead up to Small Business Saturday, Waveney Valley MP Adrian Ramsay visited a number of small businesses in Norfolk and Suffolk and attended A Taste of Suffolk, Wine and Cheese in Parliament.
Speaking after the event, Adrian said,
“Small and independent businesses are the backbone of our communities. They create local jobs, bring life to our high streets, and help our market towns thrive. Their success sends out benefits that reach well beyond any single town or high street.”
After speaking with Flint Vineyard, Adrian said,
“Waveney Valley is blessed to have a diverse and thriving independent business like Flint Vineyard just outside Bungay. It is creating outstanding wine - showing the diversity of what can be grown in East Anglia - and supporting local jobs. Reducing VAT for hospitality and reversing the employer National Insurance rise, as the Green Party has proposed, would ease pressure on small businesses like this.”
Adrian added that he always makes a point of visiting local traders.
“Whenever I am in one of our market towns, I try to drop into a few businesses, including local gems such as Zoe’s Kitchen, a beautiful cafe by The Mere in Diss. I talked to the owner about the challenges of rising costs and also about how there's a lot of support locally for our high streets.”
