Cross-party think tank Policy Connect calls on Government and Parliament to embrace key principles to achieve clean growth beyond Brexit and make the UK a global leader in the green economy.

Preceding the publication of the Repeal Bill on Thursday [13 July], the Policy Connect cross-party report on Brexit, entitled Principles for a Sustainable Brexit: a strategic plan for clean growth, calls for Government to embed accountability, enforcement, and evidence-driven policy at the core of post-Brexit policy and regulation in order to spur clean growth and improve the lives of UK citizens.

The report by Policy Connect argues that post-Brexit policy, at the heart of which lies the Repeal Bill, is a “chance for the UK to carry out an overhaul of its environmental policies; to uphold its international commitments, attract long-term investment, fully utilise available research and data and to embed long-term thinking and strategy whilst being transparent and accountable to these objectives”.

The manifesto concludes that “disregarding climate change and environmental regulation post-Brexit would have damaging economic consequences. Embedding this urgent issue into future policy comes with a wealth of benefits for both economy and society associated with becoming a world leader in the sustainable innovation space.”

The manifesto has been contributed to by politicians from across the Houses of Commons and Lords, and is endorsed by The Rt Hon. the Lord Deben (Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change); Dr Alan Whitehead MP (Shadow Energy and Climate Change Minister); Geraint Davies MP (former Member of the Environmental Audit Committee and the European Scrutiny Committee); and Peter Aldous MP (former member of the Environmental Audit Committee).

Policy Connect Chair, Barry Sheerman MP, expressed his support for the launch saying, “The Prime Minister has asked for cross-party working on Brexit and the economy.   Clean growth should be at the heart of the Repeal Bill and I call on the government to embrace this report to deliver a green economy and improve people’s lives.” 

The report was launched on Wednesday 12th July in Portcullis house. The panel discussion was chaired by Tom Heap, with speakers The Rt Hon. the Lord Deben (Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change); Dr Alan Whitehead MP (Shadow Energy and Climate Change Minister); Geraint Davies MP (former Member of the Environmental Audit Committee and the European Scrutiny Committee); Peter Aldous MP (former member of the Environmental Audit Committee); and Claudia Jaksch(Chief Operations Officer and Head of Sustainability at Policy Connect). 

The event was subsequently covered by Business Green.