Green Party of England and Wales
Two Years: Ten Bills
The first two years of the forthcoming parliament is a crucial period for the climate and for people’s lives. We need transformation and it can’t wait.
In conjunction with our full manifesto, our Two Years: Ten Bills plan sets out our immediate strategy to kick-start the transformation of our country with the introduction of ten key pieces of legislation during the first two years of the new Parliament. Green representation in the House of Commons following the 12 December General Election our legislative programme will:
Tackle the climate emergency with at the speed and scale which the science demands;
Secure the future of the country as part of the European Union via a People’s Vote;
Create a society that is equal, fair and works for everyone.
- Green New Deal Bill
We will introduce a Green New Deal Bill, which is at the heart of our transformative legislative agenda.
Our out of control economic system is plundering the Earth’s natural resources, creating wealth for a small number of people, casting the climate into chaos and causing corrosive levels of inequality. In order to turn this around in the next 10 years there must be bold and urgent action by the next government regardless of its composition.
We will introduce a Green New Deal Bill – the legislative foundation for our comprehensive ten-year plan to tackle climate and ecological breakdown at the scale and speed demanded by the science and equity. It will deliver a fast and fair transformation of our economy and society, renewing almost every aspect of life in the UK: from the way we produce and consume energy, to who owns our railways, the way in which we grow the food we eat and how we work, travel, and heat our homes.
The Green New Deal Bill will get the UK on track to reducing climate emissions to net zero by 2030.
Find out more about our Green New Deal in our manifesto.
- People’s Vote Bill
We will introduce a People’s Vote Bill giving people a chance to vote on the future of our relationship with the European Union based on what we know about the facts of today, not the multiple fictions of three and a half years ago. The Green Party will campaign strongly for a Remain vote.
Find out more about our commitment to a People's Vote in our manifesto.
- NHS Reinstatement Bill
We will introduce an NHS Reinstatement Bill building on the founding principles of the Health Service – universal, publicly provided healthcare free at the point of delivery – to widen and enhance the services provided.
This bill will include increased funding for the NHS by at least £6 billion per year each year, until 2030 (a 4.5% increase on the 2018/2019 NHS Budget), and a further £1 billion a year in nursing higher education, allowing for nursing bursaries to be reinstated.
Mental and public health services available to all and integrated social care will be key components of this Bill. The Bill will roll back privatisation of our health service, through repealing the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and abolishing the internal market.
Find out more about our plan to restore the NHS in our manifesto.
- Further and Higher Education Bill
We will introduce a Further and Higher Education Bill to revive the further and higher education sector and provide a wider choice of academic and vocational learning.
This bill will legislate to fund tuition for every higher education student and the scrapping of undergraduate tuition fees. It will write off of existing student debt for those students who studied under the £9k tuition fee regime.
Find out more about our plan to unlock education in our manifesto.
- Sustainable Economy Bill
We will introduce a Sustainable Economy Bill setting new binding targets to ensure our economy functions within environmental limits. In line with the findings of the IPPR Economic Justice Commission, our bill will set binding environmental targets on biodiversity, soil health and water quality and create a powerful new enforcement body.
It will take account of the overseas climate and environmental impacts of goods and services imported to the UK and introduce new economic rules to prioritise the health and wellbeing of people and nature above short-term profit and economic growth.
Find out more about our Green New Deal for Industry in our manifesto.
- Future Generations Bill
We will champion the Future Generations Bill into the House of Commons, which was first introduced into the House of Lords in October 2019 by Green Peer Baroness Jenny Jones on behalf of Lord Bird.
This legislation will enshrine in law the creation of an independent UK Commissioner for Future Generations and a requirement on (non-devolved) public bodies, including the UK government, to balance the needs of the present with the needs of the future.
This will require public bodies to act in pursuit of the environmental, social, economic and cultural well-being of the United Kingdom in a way that accords with the Future Generations principle.
Find out more about our Future Generations Act in our manifesto.
- Universal Basic Income Bill
Strongly linked to our Green New Deal legislation, we will introduce a Universal Basic Income Bill, transforming our social welfare system with a phased in unconditional financial payment to everyone at a level above their subsistence needs.
Through UBI, this bill will open the door to opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach and liberate people from job insecurity. No one currently in receipt of benefits will be worse off under UBI – and many will be much better off. UBI will be partially funded through progressive tax reforms.
Find out more about our plan to Deliver secure incomes in our manifesto.
- New Homes Bill
We will introduce a New Homes Bill, that ends the housing crisis by creating the legislative framework to build 100,000 new zero carbon homes for social rent each year.
The bill will create a duty for central government to adequately fund local authorities t to create these new affordable homes through green construction, renovation and conversion to ensure these homes are warm and sustainable.
Find out more about our Green New Deal for housing in our manifesto.
- Renters’ Rights Bill
We will introduce a Renters Bill to transform the lives of renters across the country, making housing more secure and bringing rent levels down, especially in places where they currently far outstrip incomes.
The Bill will outline rent controls on private tenancies, which reflect average local income rates and the cost of maintenance. It will end no-fault evictions, discrimination against those on benefits, and make it easier to set up community-led housing initiatives and for private renters in Houses of Multiple Occupancy to buy and run their home as a housing co-op.
Find out more about our plan to Deliver secure homes in our manifesto.
- Fair Votes Bill
We will introduce a Voting Reform Bill to unleash people power and grow democracy.
This will replace our archaic First Past the Post system for parliamentary and local government elections with Proportional Representation and create a fully elected House of Lords.
16- and 17-year-olds will be afforded the right to vote and have a say on their future. We will also allow people to stand for Parliament and all other elected offices from the age of 16, offering support to elected young people so that they can combine their duties with studying.
Find out more about our plans to unleash people power and grow democracy in our manifesto.
Learn more:
Green Party — Two years, ten bills
Manifesto
Official website
https://vote.greenparty.org.uk/
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