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Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate
You asked: For me to urge the Government not to weaken the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate, which requires a rising share of new cars to be electric. You pointed out that transport is the UK’s largest source of emissions, and that electric cars cut air pollution and running costs.
My response: I believe the future of driving in the UK is electric. One in four new cars sold in Britain is now electric, and there are over two million electric vehicles on our roads. The Government’s Electric Car Grant has already helped more than 160,000 people make the switch, saving drivers an average of £1,400 a year on running costs.
The Government has been reviewing the mandate, as it promised it would. Ministers have been clear that the end goal hasn’t changed, and that all new car sales must still be zero-emission by 2035. The review is about making sure the path there works for British industry as well as for the climate.
I’ll keep a close eye on the outcome of the review, which is due in the coming months, and I’ll keep making the case for a fast and fair switch to electric vehicles.
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Rosebank oil field
You asked: For me to call on the Government to reject the Rosebank oil field off Shetland and to bring in a full ban on fracking.
My response: Tackling climate change was part of why I became an MP, and Britain is making real progress in moving away from fossil fuels. This year, the UK secured 8.4GW of offshore wind in Europe’s biggest ever offshore wind auction, enough to power more than 12 million homes.
Oil and gas will still play a part in our energy mix for some years while we make that shift. The Government’s plan is to manage existing North Sea fields for the rest of their lives without issuing new licences to explore for new ones, and I fully support that commitment. The Government has also committed to a ban on fracking.
Decisions on individual projects like Rosebank go through a strict regulatory process, so it wouldn’t be right for me to comment on the case while that decision is being made. The Energy Secretary is expected to decide soon.
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Animal welfare
You asked: Many of you wrote to me about three campaigns. You asked me to support an end to cages for mother pigs, with free-farrowing as the legal standard, and to back a ban on breeding game birds in cages. You also asked for the Hunting Act to be strengthened, closing the loopholes that allow trail hunting.
My response: As a vegan/vegetarian, animal welfare is something I care about deeply. Animals deserve care and protection in whatever system they’re kept. That’s why I welcome the Government’s commitment, in its Animal Welfare Strategy, to work with farmers to move all mother pigs out of farrowing crates. Half of the UK’s breeding sows already give birth freely on outdoor farms, which shows what’s possible.
Many of you also wrote about the breeding of game birds in cages for shooting. The Government has been gathering evidence on how pheasants and partridges are reared and released, including their welfare and the risk of disease. Independent experts will review the findings, and any proposals that follow will go to public consultation.
On fox hunting, I remain fully committed to the ban. Too often, trail hunting has been used as a smokescreen for illegal hunting, which is why I welcome the Government’s commitment to ban it. Its consultation on how to do so closed in the summer, and I want to see an effective, enforceable ban brought forward as soon as Parliament has time.
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Clean water and sewage
You asked: Many of you wrote in support of Surfers Against Sewage’s campaign for a Clean Water Bill that holds water companies to account for pollution.
My response: I share your anger about the state of our rivers and seas. The Government’s Clean Water Bill will create a single, powerful water regulator with the teeth to act, along with MOT-style checks on water company assets and inspections without notice. It builds on new laws that already let bosses be prosecuted and stop them being paid bonuses when their companies fail.
I’ve written about this in more depth in my column for the November issue of the Shire, which you can read at shire.org.uk.
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The NHS contract with Palantir
You asked: To call on the Government not to extend the NHS’s contract with Palantir for its Federated Data Platform when it comes up for renewal in February 2027, citing concerns about patient data and public trust.
My response: Public trust in how the NHS handles our data is essential. The Federated Data Platform connects information from different NHS systems so that staff can co-ordinate patients’ care. Each hospital trust and local NHS body runs its own version and controls who can access it, with strict security in place to protect patients’ privacy.
The contract includes break points so that it can be formally evaluated, and the Government will decide in the coming months whether to extend it or bring it to an end. That’s the proper process, and I won’t get ahead of it. But I’ll be following the evaluation closely, including the questions you’ve raised about value for money and how patient data is protected.
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