The Reader: Rishi Sunak must show UK means green business

Rishi Sunak
REUTERS
25 February 2020
WEST END FINAL

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One question for Rishi Sunak as he settles into Number 11: how sustainable will his Budget be? Sajid Javid pledged to “prioritise the environment”. His successor should keep that promise: never has an environment-focused Budget been more urgent.

True, the Government seeks “net-zero” emissions by 2050. The Conservatives promised to spend on insulation and carbon-capture technology. But we are yet to see actual cashflow from the Treasury.

The UK is a world leader in wind power. I see progress in my own field, finance: investors are channelling millions into ethical projects, and banks are focusing on sustainable trade and supporting green-minded entrepreneurs.

The missing piece of the puzzle is political will. The Budget is the perfect opportunity to show the world that, when it comes to the environment, the UK means business too.
Shanu Hinduja, Chair of Hinduja Bank and co-chair of the UN Global Accelerator

Editor's reply

Dear Shanu

The brilliant thing about investing in the environment is that it gets results. For example, for several Januarys running this newspaper has reported that the quota for air pollution breaches for the entire year had been hit — in mere days.

Not this year. Figures from City Hall show shoppers in former blackspots Putney High Street, Brixton Road and Oxford Street are mostly breathing air that meets the legal limit.

With a global market for green tech worth trillions of dollars, green growth stopped being an oxymoron years ago. Rishi Sunak will no doubt be guided by a Tory manifesto that promised: “Our first Budget will prioritise the environment.” So we should expect more cash for R&D, decarbonisation, electric vehicles and carbon capture.

And if he’s really brave, the new Chancellor might even put up fuel duty to show he hasn’t forgotten that keeping us in the black is also good economics.
Joe Murphy, Political Editor

NHS should wear badges with pride

In LGBT+ History Month we’re celebrating the first anniversary of Guy’s and St Thomas’ becoming the first NHS trust in the country to launch NHS rainbow badges.

Today more than 70 per cent of NHS trusts in England have introduced the scheme or are planning to roll it out. This is fantastic news. LGBT+ people can still face significant barriers to healthcare, such as discrimination, which can have a detrimental impact on their physical and mental health.

Our LGBT+ patients have told us that the badges have helped them to feel “less anxious”, “be more at ease” and be “open about their sexuality”.We now want to see even more NHS trusts introduce them.
Dr Michael Farquhar, Evelina London

Handout photo issued by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust of staff members celebrating the NHS rainbow badge scheme
PA

Everyone can join the library club

A library is like a private club, minus the colossal membership fee (it’s free). I’m surprised that Ms Gill’s boyfriend was so ill-informed. [“Take a leaf out of my boyfriend’s book”, Comment, February 21 ]. Libraries have been around for quite a while. In Babylon a library existed during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar (605-562 BC). Today keen and regular users will start a row if their library is threatened with closure.
Christine Moulie, Highgate Library volunteer

Grenfell support will never falter

Supporting the community to recover following the Grenfell Tower tragedy is this council’s number-one priority. We will always be sorry for the council’s role in the tragedy, which continues to change everything about how we work.

It is right for journalists to challenge how public money is spent, but your article [“£50m Grenfell fund being squandered and deaths exploited, claim survivors”, February 21 ] paints an incomplete picture of our dedicated service, which was created with and for the bereaved and survivors.

They told us that having a dedicated worker is a crucial part of their recovery, so we have 26 staff supporting a service accessed by more than 96 per cent of those who are eligible. The £1.35 million mentioned funds services chosen by the bereaved and survivors, which are accessed at their own pace and to meet their own needs. We do not apply pressure and anything not spent rolls over from year to year.
Cllr Elizabeth Campbell, Leader of Kensington and Chelsea council

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