Archived press release

Election: how green are the parties

31 May 2001

Labour and Tories ignore green voters

Friends of the Earth Compares Manifestos

Labour and Conservatives are failing to take green issues seriously during the election campaign Friends of the Earth said today. The claim is backed by an analysis of party manifestos, which reveals an 'indifferent' approach to green issues from labour, and a woeful one from the Conservatives. However, the environment is at the heart of both the Liberal Democrats and the Green party manifestos.

Friends of the Earth selected 10 areas of policy by which to judge the 4 party manifestos.They are:

1. Climate change, fuel poverty and energy production
2. Agriculture and countryside
3. Transport
4. Waste management
5. Pollution and public health
6. Wildlife and countryside protection
7. Corporations and business
8. Tax and public expenditure
9. Greening government
10. Global issues and sustainable development

Following FOE's analysis the parties were awarded the following scores (out of 50).

Labour scored well on Agriculture and the countryside, and on promises on green Taxation and public expenditure. Labour scored badly on Transport (promising to build 100 new roads) , Waste management (with the lowest recycling target of the three big parties),Pollution and public health and Corporations and business. Labour has also dropped its 1997 pledge to “put the environment at the heart of Government”.

The Conservatives managed to score a remarkable zero on Pollution and public health,Corporations and business, Greening government and international environmental issues.The Conservatives also infuriated environmentalists at the beginning of their campaign by promising a 6p cut in fuel duty. Perhaps the only area in which the Conservatives are more green than Labour is on waste and recycling, where the Party promises “doorstep recycling for all households, with new resources to councils to help fund such schemes”.

The Liberal Democrats scored well on most issues. Among the eye-catching commitments in the Party's manifesto are a target of 60% of household waste to be recycled by 2010, a ban on UK production and use of persistent bio-accumulative chemicals, a new carbon tax,and new laws to ensure corporate liability for environmental damage. The Liberal Democrats are also the first mainstream UK party to integrate environmental policies throughout their manifesto.

Charles Secrett, Director of Friends of the Earth said:

“Neither Labour nor the Tories are taking environmental issues seriously in this Election. Labour's manifesto is full of bland phrases, covering a fairly poor record in Government. The Tories seem to have decided that no-one with an interest in the environment is worth asking for a vote. Their manifesto is remarkable for being perhaps the least green produced by a major UK party in living memory. Only the Liberals and the Green Party are taking these issues seriously.”

FOE has also criticised the media for under-reporting green issues during the Election campaign. Earlier this week Loughborough University published a detailed analysis of neglected issues in the Guardian. Environmental coverage has made up only 0.8 % of all stories.

Charles Secrett added:

“Environmental issues have been under-reported throughout this Election campaign.But millions of voters rank these issues high up their list of concerns. No wonder so many people are alienated from conventional politics. The mainstream Parties have let the public down by ignoring the environment. And too much of the media has collaborated with this betrayal of the public interest.”

FOE's detailed analysis of the Party manifestos can be read at http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/4_party_manifesto_analysis.pdf

To view PDF files you will need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader. Visually impaired users can get extra help with these documents from access.adobe.com.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust