‘This is a climate election’ - Green Party sets out its election priorities

Green Party Co-Leader Sian Berry (centre), Deputy Leader and Parliamentary Candidate for Newport West Amelia Womack (left), and Bristol West Candidate Carla Denyer (right). Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA Wire. - Credit: PA

The Green Party has launched its general election campaign with a pledge to borrow more than £900 billion over the next decade in a bid to rid the UK of fossil fuels.

Joint leader Sian Berry outlined the plan to turn the UK carbon neutral by 2030 as she calls on voters to make December 12 a “climate election”.

The party plans to hike corporation tax by 5% in an attempt to service the huge debt, which will be used to build 100,000 energy-efficient homes a year and upgrade national transport infrastructure.

The launch took place in Bristol West, a key Green Party target seat, where the local council has approved plans to ban diesel cars from the city centre by 2021.

Berry told party activists: “Some things are even bigger than Brexit. This must be the climate election”.

The Greens are promising to spend £100 billion a year over the next decade, telling voters: “This could be our last chance to elect a parliament to keep us below dangerous warming.

“The climate doesn’t care about promises. The environment doesn’t care about pledges. What we need is action. And the Green Party has the single most ambitious and comprehensive plan to go carbon neutral by 2030 while delivering social justice across Britain.”

Some £91.2 billion of the proposed yearly spending will come from borrowing, with the party arguing that the low cost of debt and impending climate crisis justifies the commitment.

The rest of the money will come from its proposed tax changes, with which it also hopes to service the cost of the borrowing.

The spending commitments come after a year of increasing pressure from environmentalists, including the direct action group Extinction Rebellion.