I am pleased to note that there is now an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Green New Deal:

The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Green New Deal:

The APPG on the Green New Deal is co-chaired by Caroline Lucas MP (Green Party) and Clive Lewis MP (Labour). Other members of the Group are: Lord Randall, vice-chair, (Conservative); Liz Saville Roberts MP, vice-chair (Plaid Cymru); Debbie Abrahams MP, vice-chair (Labour); Claire Hanna MP, vice-chair (SDLP); Stephen Farry MP, Treasurer (Alliance Party); Wera Hobhouse MP (Liberal Democrat); Alan Brown MP (SNP) Baroness McIntosh, (Conservative); Nadia Whittome MP (Labour); Baroness Bennett (Green Party); Baroness Lister (Labour); Baroness Jones (Green Party), Lloyd Russel-Moyle MP (Labour); Feryal Clark MP (Labour); Sam Tarry MP (Labour); James Murray MP (Labour Co-operative); Alex Sobel MP (Labour Co-operative); Wes Streeting MP (Labour); Rachel Maskell MP (York Central) and Beth Winter MP (Labour).

I am also pleased that the Green New Deal Bill tabled by Caroline Lucas and Clive Lewis in the last session of parliament has now been tabled again.

And in fairness I should also mention that another Bill on the same theme has also been published, but not yet tabled. This is a Green Recovery Bill. I should declare an interest. TYhis copies the structure of the Lucas and Lewis Bill in proposing the creation of a Green New Deal Commission. That drafting is not ideal, but from the experience of writing such Bills I knew that they cannot commit a government to spending. But they can commit to a Commission that can propose spending. I suggested that structure which has let both Bills achieve their goals, and I think that is important even if a Commission is not democratically ideal. Such is the parliamentary game that has to be played.

This range of interest in parliament is welcome.