Farrukh@implausibleblog
Hannah Spencer delivers her second speech in parliament, and does so on the Royal Address on behalf of the Green party
"And this is only the second time I have made a speech here, so I hope you will all bear with me if I get any protocols wrong. Um. In my maiden speech, I gave a shout-out to the many professions and communities that haven't been well represented here in Parliament in the past, and I made a promise to help give them a voice."
"And today it feels especially important to keep that promise because there's sadly not enough in the King's Speech that is going to make their lives significantly better. And that is why us Greens have tabled a reasoned amendment for all the people working hard, or to raise a family, or to just get through each day, because everyone deserves a safety net and a chance to get ahead."
"For everyone who wants things to be different, one in three households in Gorton and Denton live in fuel poverty, and the UK has got some of the leakiest homes in Europe. And I know that because I have worked on thousands of them in my last job as a plumber."
"And so if we want to cut energy bills for good, we really do need a properly funded and a properly regulated national home insulation scheme, and to go even bigger on renewable energy. And that is where investment should be going, not into nuclear power."
"And the King's Speech includes some steps in the right direction, but it is nothing like the transformative, progressive programme that this moment demands. It doesn't rise to the climate and nature crisis that is happening now, and that's a crisis that can't be separated from the inequality and cost-of-living crises that are happening too, because it is always the poorest people that suffer the most here in our country and around the world."
"And while certain people will claim that climate action is pushing up bills, we know that that isn't true, and we know that some of the people saying that are being bankrolled by the very companies causing climate destruction and ripping off our constituents."
"And the Representation of the People Bill must go further on cleaning up politics because a greener, more affordable, more secure future is possible if you stand up to those vested interests and if we're prepared to admit that obscene wealth is damaging our country."
"And people out there are so angry at the gap between the super, super rich and all the rest of us getting even bigger, and they want something equally big done about it. They don't want any child to go hungry, and they know that a free hot school meal for every child up to the age of 16 is possible if extreme wealth is taxed fairly."
"They want public transport to be more affordable, and they know that we could start by giving free bus passes to all the under-22s, again, paid for by our tax system being made fairer."
"They want everyone to have a roof over their head, to get a doctor's or a dentist appointment without struggle, and for the NHS to be run for the public good, not to line shareholders' pockets. And they know that change is possible if only this government, a Labour government, would tax extreme wealth fairly."
"Our Green amendment includes new powers to control rents. Greens welcomed the changes in the Renters Reform Act and now plans for more social housing. But far too many people are still struggling to pay their rent and make ends meet. So alongside action to bring down energy and water bills, it is time to get a grip on the cost of renting too."
"And now I was elected to give a voice to a politics that truly represents everyone. This is the first King's Speech I've been in Parliament to hear, and honestly, what I'm hearing isn't gonna give everyone the meaningful change that we and they all know is possible."
"So Greens will have no hesitation to use our individual and collective voices over the coming months to welcome progress when it's made, but crucially, to demand the change that people were promised and the change that people deserve to have."
"Thank you. Hear, hear."