Labour Party Conference 2025 - Make Britain A Clean Enery And Superpower Debate

Ed Miliband speach to Conference

Many will say that the placing of motion with environmental matters concerns at the final day of Conference, the Labour Party has shown that it's commitments to clean energy, the environment, and global warming; are low down in this Government's priorities.

Nevertheless, the commitment to these issues was self evident on the Conference order paper, via the motions listed and the quality of the speakers during the debate.

 

Prior to the Secretary of State for Environment, Ed Milliband's speach, the debate and motions were taken:

Composite Motion 1 – Animal Welfare

Conference notes that the previous Conservative government:
Failed to pass the Trophy Hunting Bill that would have stopped selfish hunters who slaughter and display endangered animals’ body parts.
Dropped a Kept Animals Bill that would have ended puppy smuggling, puppy farming and pet theft.

Conference believes that the Labour Party has a proud track record of improving animal welfare in government, from ending the testing of cosmetic products on animals in 1998, to stopping the cruelty of fur farming in 2000, banning fox hunting and bringing in the landmark Animal Welfare Act in 2006.

Conference condemns Reform’s Nigel Farage’s support for fox hunting. Reform cannot be trusted on animal welfare.

Conference urges the Labour Party to build on this legacy to:

* End illegal puppy farming and smuggling.
* Ban trail hunting that allows for illegal hunting of foxes, deer and hares, once and for all.
* Ban the import of hunting trophies from abroad.
* Publish a roadmap to end the use of animals - including dogs, minipigs and rabbits - in the scientific testing of products.
* Ban the importation of heavily pregnant dogs and cats.
* Ban the sale of animals with cropped ears.
* Ban the use of snare traps.

Mover: Camborne and Redruth CLP
Seconder: The Wrekin CLP

 

 

Composite Motion 6 – Water

Conference notes:

* Across the UK, rivers and natural waterways are a vital resource, essential for ecological diversity and leisure.
* Record levels of illegal sewage dumping in our rivers, lakes and seas inherited by the Labour government after 14 years of Tory failure.
* That despite this, only three people in the water sector have ever been prosecuted for environmental related crimes since privatization.
* The Conservatives failed to invest in broken infrastructure and let consumer money be spent irresponsibly on bonuses and shareholder payouts.
* The Conservatives also cut the Environment Agency (EA) budget by half since 2010, enabled by the Lib Dems while in coalition - leaving the EA powerless to crack down on polluting water companies.
* The Reform party manifesto did not mention sewage or the position of water companies.
* It is only with a Labour government in Westminster, that action on illegal sewage can be delivered.

Conference welcomes the record £104m fine issued to Thames Water for environmental breaches and the groundbreaking new Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 which will force water bosses to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.

Conference calls on the Labour Party to enforce this Act to:

* Bring criminal charges against persistent lawbreakers – including prison terms for water bosses who cover up illegal sewage spills.
* Stop companies profiting from failure and ban the payment of bonuses to executives of water companies if they fail to meet high standards to protect the environment, their consumers, and their company’s finances.
* Introduce severe and automatic fines for offences.
* Ensure independent monitoring of every outlet to create transparency around emergency sewage overflows to hold water companies to account.

Mover: St Austell and Newquay CLP
Seconder: Windsor CLP

 

Delegates contributions to the debate

 

Following an introduction by Tracy Wainwright, Unison Northern Energy, and a worker in the energy sector for some 26 years.

She expressed her rpide in introducing Ed Milliband to make his policy statement on the sessions theme of 'Make Britain A Clean Enery And Superpower. As delegates spoke of in ther moving speeches and in the debate; this issue involves not just the ideas of clean energy, but also is central to the future of the environment, animal welfare and global warming.

Secretary of State Ed Milliband