Liberal Democrats Party 2024 Manifesto
As we head towards a new political landscape, our Barbour writing team will pick out the key policies, pledges and manifesto talking points from all the main political parties that are going to affect you. We'll keep you in the loop leading up to the General Election, and after it, so you won't miss a thing!
The Liberal Democrats manifesto makes proposals related to climate change and energy, the natural environment and farming.
Climate change and energy
The Liberal Democrats aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045 at the latest. They intend to cut energy bills and create hundreds of thousands of secure, well-paid new jobs. They are committed to helping households meet the cost of the transition to net zero and make sure everyone benefits from it.
In order to achieve this, they will:
- make homes warmer and cheaper to heat with a ten-year emergency upgrade programme, starting with free insulation and heat pumps for those on low incomes, and ensure that all new homes are zero-carbon;
- drive a rooftop solar revolution by expanding incentives for households to install solar panels, including a guaranteed fair price for electricity sold back into the grid;
- invest in renewable power so that 90% of the UK’s electricity is generated from renewables by 2030;
- appoint a Chief Secretary for Sustainability in the Treasury to ensure that the economy is sustainable, resource-efficient and zero-carbon;
- establish a new Net Zero Delivery Authority to coordinate action across government departments and work with devolved administrations;
- hand more powers and resources to local councils for local net zero strategies;
- establish national and local citizens’ assemblies to give people real involvement in the decisions needed to tackle climate change; and
- restore the UK’s role as a global leader on climate change, by returning international development spending to 0.7% of national income, with tackling climate change a key priority for development spending.
Natural environment
Their plan focuses on restoring the UK’s natural environment, and giving everyone access to a clean and healthy natural world. To do this, they will:
- end the sewage scandal by transforming water companies into public benefit companies, banning bonuses for water bosses until discharges and leaks end, and replacing Ofwat with a tough new regulator with new powers to prevent sewage dumps;
- set meaningful and binding targets to stop the decline of our natural environment and "double nature" by 2050: doubling the size of the Protected Area Network, doubling the area of most important wildlife habitats, doubling the abundance of species and doubling woodland cover by 2050;
- plant at least 60 million trees a year, helping to restore woodland habitats, increase the use of sustainable wood in construction, and reach net zero;
- pass a Clean Air Act, based on World Health Organization guidelines, enforced by a new Air Quality Agency; and
- strengthen the Office for Environmental Protection and provide more funding to the Environment Agency and Natural England to help protect our environment and enforce environmental laws.
Farming
The manifesto aims to ensure that everyone can get affordable, healthy and nutritious food, produced to high welfare and environmental standards. They propose to:
- introduce a holistic and comprehensive National Food Strategy to ensure food security, tackle rising food prices, end food poverty and improve health and nutrition;
- accelerate the rollout of the new Environmental Land Management schemes, funding it with an extra £1 billion a year to support profitable, sustainable and nature-friendly farming;
- maintain high health, environmental and animal welfare standards in food production and guarantee that all future trade deals will meet them too;
- give farmers the ability to trade with European neighbours with minimal need for checks by negotiating comprehensive veterinary and plant health agreements;
- support farmers properly in restoring woodland, peatland and waterways, creating new natural flood protections and managing land to encourage species recovery and carbon storage, while producing food for the table.
For more information, see the:
