That’s all we have time for today, at least above the line - please do continue to discuss today’s lines and stories in the comments thread below.
See you tomorrow.
Labour leadership candidates' environment policy
Some commenters have asked us to do more coverage on the Labour leadership candidates’ environmental policy. We did an interactive guide to where each of them stand on various issues, but neglected environment and climate change.
So let’s do a summary.
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Jeremy Corbyn put green issues at the centre of his pitch to become leader. He launched his own environmental manifesto, Protecting Our Planet (pdf), which included plans to break up the ‘Big 6’ energy companies, and a “root and branch review” of energy market subsidies, and look into ways to allow local communities to own their own energy systems. The manifesto pledges that Britain would take an international lead on “climate change and the socialisation of our energy supply”, and said that under Corbyn the party would focus on creating a “modern, green, resource-efficient economy”.
Proud to announce Protecting Our Planet strategy with @AlanSimpson01 - a green economy for growth & sustainablility pic.twitter.com/6ySGn8a0FA
— Jeremy Corbyn MP (@jeremycorbyn) August 7, 2015
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Andy Burnham’s manifesto (PDF) describes climate change as one of the four greatest challenges (or “giant evils”) of the 21st century, alongside debt, insecurity, and inequality. His environment policy is not given prominent billing, but promises a moratorium on fracking (an issue on which he has been fairly vocal), and says that the government’s lack of support for renewable energy is a mistake.
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In an interview with the Independent, Yvette Cooper called on Labour to address the “big issues facing the country” - including climate change - in a veiled reference to those considering backing Jeremy Corbyn, suggesting that the party had to be in power to make any impact on this crucial issue. Cooper has pledged a review to ensure economic growth does not increase carbon emissions, building more ‘eco towns’ and developing carbon capture technology. She said: “David Cameron’s ‘hug-a-husky but scrap a wind farm’ hypocrisy is setting us back years.” In an essay for the Fabian Society, she pledged to set a target of 3% GDP investment in research and development, to ensure “incentives for the new technology crucial to a low-carbon future.”
- Liz Kendall hasn’t made much in the way of specific policy commitments when it comes to environmental issues. According to a piece she wrote for Left Foot Forward, as Labour leader she “will challenge George Osborne’s myth that we need to choose between the economy and the environment”. She welcomes a predicted rise in the number of Green jobs, and demands an “amitious plan” for the Paris climate change negotiations that should be matched by “serious action” at home. She has said the need to tackle climate change is a crucial reason why Britain should stay in the EU.
Updated
Commenters below the line have been drawing attention to this Independent story by Jon Stone, in which he reports the DWP have admitted to making up quotes by supposed benefits claimants claiming that sanctions had helped them.
Jeremy Corbyn has been in our neck of the woods. Speaking outside King’s Cross station in London, where he expounded on his plans to renationalise the railways, he urged Labour to see the interest his campaign has attracted as a huge opportunity. Rowena Mason’s report quotes him as saying:
“I invite the parliamentary Labour party to understand that there is a huge democratic movement in this country which is getting great resonance, with older people coming back to Labour and younger people who were previously turned off by yah-boo-sucks abusive politics coming into it for the first time. Let’s be happy. Things are going well.
“Many people who were hitherto not very excited about British party politics have come into the fold and attending our rallies ... All of our meetings are absolutely packed out. There is something happening out there. The summer of 2015 is like no other summer in British politics that I can ever remember.”
Updated
Some lunchtime reading from our regulars below the line.
- Who is coming second in the Labour leadership election: Andy Burnham or Yvette Cooper? The question is causing a ruckus between the two campaigns. George Eaton of the New Statesman has been looking into it, and concludes:
The battle for “second” isn’t just significant as an attempt to gain some late momentum. It also reflects the belief that whoever finishes as runner-up to Corbyn (who almost all expect to win) will be best-placed to take over should he fall before the election.
HT: fripouille
The choice of Labour leader is not the only one exercising Labour member’s minds at the moment. Also up for grabs is the position of deputy leader and the chance to be Labour’s London mayoral candidate in next year’s election.
- The New Statesman’s Stephen Bush has been on the road with Caroline Flint, a deputy Labour leader candidate but behind in the polls to Tom Watson and Stella Creasy. She comes across rather well.
- Former leader Neil Kinnock has backed Sadiq Khan for the latter, in this opinion piece for the Mirror.
- A Conservative party member has claimed they were able to vote for Jeremy Corbyn as leader three times - using his first name, his middle name, and his wife’s name, and using the same contact details on each. Frances Perraudin has the story.
- Jeremy Corbyn has dismissed as “ludicrous and wrong” claims that he would knowingly have associated with Holocaust deniers, in an interview with Channel 4 News’ Cathy Newman.
Newman has been tweeting further about the interview this morning.
So 4 months after Paul Eisen outed himself as a Holocaust denier @Corbyn4Leader attended one of his Deir Yassin group's events 1/2
— Cathy Newman (@cathynewman) August 18, 2015
2/2 yet last night @Corbyn4Leader told me: "had he been a Holocaust denier I would have had nothing to do with him." #c4news
— Cathy Newman (@cathynewman) August 18, 2015
- Yvette Cooper’s campaign team has been attracting some mirth on Twitter for thanking voters for their second preference - voters including David Miliband.
Thank you David for your second preference! http://t.co/PlkCtGQUyh pic.twitter.com/s8riQKdzTC
— Yvette For Labour (@YvetteForLabour) August 17, 2015
Updated
Andrew is not (usually) writing his usual Politics Live blog during summer recess but, as an alternative, here’s Politics Live: readers’ edition. It’s intended to be a place where you can catch up with the latest news and find links to good politics blogs and articles on the web.
Please feel free to use this as somewhere you can comment on any of the day’s political stories - just as you do during the daily blog. It would be particularly useful for readers to flag up new material in the comments - breaking news or blogposts or tweets that are worth passing on because someone is going to find them interesting.
The Labour leadership election rumbles on, with Andy Burnham warning of the dangers of a divided party, and accusing some in the party of “circling the wagon against Jeremy [Corbyn]’s campaign.
Angles on this or on any of today’s breaking politics news? Share them, along with links and arguments below the line. We’ll post the most interesting links above the line.
All today’s Guardian politics stories are here and all the politics stories filed yesterday, including some in today’s paper, are here.
