Dear friends,

The last few months have been a roller coaster ride, but my time in the European Parliament has finally come to an end.

I want my constituents in London to know what an absolute privilege it has been to represent you in the European Parliament over the past 20 years, and I am delighted to hand on to Scott Ainslie as my successor.

As I explain in the video message above, I’ve worked hard to give you a voice in the European Parliament. Many of best ideas have come from speaking with you – the real living wage, for example, which I’ve been proud to champion in the European Parliament.

I really do think that, together, we’ve managed to change some things for the better. Below I’ve outlined a few of the highlights of my time in the European Parliament – from helping to improve EU asylum laws, to doing my small bit to protect UK citizens in the EU in the case of a catastrophic ‘˜no deal’ Brexit.

In these troubled political times, it’s crystal clear to me that the EU makes a positive difference to peoples’ lives.

We need genuine cooperation across borders if our world is to tackle climate chaos, uphold human rights, and defend and promote our hard-won democratic standards.

Thankfully, the new, bigger-than-ever Greens/EFA group will bring new energy to the fight for a more social, progressive Europe that lives within its ecological means.

And while this is the close of one chapter for me, I won’t be stepping (or dancing!) out of politics completely. I’ll be moving on to work on some of the issues that are closest to my heart.

So ‘˜Vive les différences!’ that make London the special, vibrant, creative and diverse city that we know and love.

And thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for your trust and support over the years. The world needs people with your vision.

With very best wishes,

Jean

PS. You can contact me until the end of this week at my usual email address, jeanlambert@greenmeps.org.uk, and find my new personal website here.

Read Jean’s full final e-news, which includes her seven ‘greatest hits’ in the European Parliament here!

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Following new allegations, Jean Lambert MEP has written to the Home Secretary calling for an urgent, independent and far-reaching inquiry into Home Office conduct.
 
Earlier this week, whistleblowers raised some serious claims about chaos, incompetence and managerial misconduct within the government department [1].
 
This is just the latest negative report, following a string of Home Office errors over the past 12 months. These include illegally deporting EU rough sleepers [2], losing vital personal immigration papers [3], wrongly trying to deport skilled migrants [4], glitches within the new Settled Status scheme for EU nationals, accusing overseas students of cheating in English language tests [5], and the continuing, shambolic treatment of Windrush victims [6].
 
The letter has been copied to Yvette Cooper, Chair of the Home Affairs Committee.
 
Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP and the Green Party’s migration spokesperson says: “In recent years, the Home Office has been at the centre of a catalogue of disasters – tearing families apart and turning lives upside down. While its representatives try to brush these off as a series of unfortunate mistakes, the new allegations of managerial bullying of caseworkers and incentives to reject asylum applications suggest this is more than incompetence – it’s deep-rooted, deliberate and unethical malpractice.
 
I’m calling for an urgent, independent and far-reaching inquiry into the Home Office’s activities and conduct. When Sajid Javid was appointed as Home Secretary, exactly one year ago, he promised to create a ‘fair and humane’ immigration system. If he was remotely sincere in this promise, he would immediately agree to conduct a probe into the department to make sure it is acting legally, ethically and in line with international human rights standards.”
 
Read the letter in full below, or in PDF format here.
 
​
Dear Home Secretary,

​As you will be aware, barely a day passes without new reports of administrative blunders, data breaches, unlawful decisions or human rights violations from your ministerial department – the Home Office. Would you not agree that it is now time for a genuine enquiry as to how the department is run?
 
In April 2019 alone, the Home Office was forced to apologise after accidentally sharing 500 private email addresses during the launch of a Windrush compensation scheme – days later making the same mistake with the email addresses of 240 EU nationals. It also now faces legal action and a formal investigation by the National Audit Office after wrongly accusing some 34,000 students of cheating in a government-approved English test, causing more than 1,000 to be detained or deported.
 
These are symptomatic of a much more extensive catalogue of disasters over the past 12 months: illegally deporting EU rough sleepers, losing or even deliberately destroying personal documentation, wrongly trying to deport hundreds of skilled workers, and – of course – a spate of examples of malpractice relating to the Windrush generation, which has already borne the brunt of Home Office incompetence. This list goes on.
 
Every time one of these stories hits the headlines, I get a sense of déjà vu. Occasionally a Home Office spokesperson stoically apologises for the mistake, or the department swiftly and silently backtracks – as in the case of a 35-year-old Iraqi-Kurd, Najat Ibrahim Ismail, who was set to be cruelly deported this week against the best interests of his children.
 
However, I was particularly alarmed this week to read new reports of “overworked, under-skilled, bullied and highly stressed caseworkers” within your Dublin Cessation Team (DCT) which determines which EU Member State is responsible for an asylum claim – a system which I have sought to make more fair, humane and transparent during my time as an MEP.
 
The toxic working environment in DCT has is clearly having an adverse effect on its day-to-day activities. It is slowing down decision-making which leaves asylum applicants in limbo for years, with many detained illegally in immigration removal centres. Meanwhile, personal performance targets which give caseworkers 555 minutes to refuse an asylum application but just 222 minutes to grant one, are completely nonsensical and incentivise rejection. Such policies are tearing families apart and turning lives upside down.
 
These latest claims by whistleblowers raise new, serious questions about the Home Office’s ability to make fair, lawful decisions in line with international human rights standards and its treaty obligations.
 
The issue is particularly pressing given that, should Brexit go ahead, the Government plans to subject millions of EU nationals to the chronically malfunctioning system currently in place for non-EU nationals.
 
This week marks one year since your appointment as Home Secretary. It has been a full 12 months since you promised to create a “fair and humane” immigration system. This has clearly not been delivered. The Home Office continues to propagate a “hostile environment” – not just for migrants and asylum seekers, but for its own staff members.
 
It’s time to face facts – the Home Office is no longer fit-for-purpose. That’s why I am calling for an urgent, independent and far-reaching inquiry into the department’s actions and conduct.
 
If you hope to live up to your bold promises, shake off the Home Office’s toxic reputation and rebuild confidence in your institution, I trust that you will kick-start this process in the coming weeks.
 
Yours sincerely,

Jean Lambert
​London’s Green Party MEP

CC:  Yvette Cooper MP, Chair of the Home Affairs Committee

Notes:

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/apr/28/home-office-chaos-and-incompetence-leads-to-unlawful-detentions-claim-whistleblowers

[2] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-44093868

[3] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/23/home-office-tried-to-deport-300-skilled-migrants-under-terrorism-law

[4] https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/eu-citizens-unable-to-use-settlement-scheme-as-new-system-overwhelmed-on-first-day-a4105186.html

[5] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/apr/26/home-office-faces-legal-action-over-english-test-cheating-claims

[6] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-47256003

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Jean Lambert has joined a cross-party group of 12 other MEPs and 11 MPs who have written to the Director General of the BBC, Tony Hall, to complain about viewers being misled on BBC Question Time.

The letter – coordinated by Green MEP Molly Scott Cato – highlights how Question Time host, Fiona Bruce, said there were “questions on both sides” about breaches of rules by the Leave and Remain campaigns during the EU referendum campaign.

Signatories to the the letter say this draws “a false equivalence between illegal acts by the Leave side and politically motivated criticism of the Remain side”.

Read the full letter here.

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Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP, has co-signed a letter to EU leaders calling for swift action to protect the rights of citizens in the event of a chaotic ‘no deal’ scenario.

Jean joined 24 other cross-party MEPs in signing the letter, which calls on the EU to ring-fence citizens’ rights – unilaterally if necessary – to reassure millions that their rights will be upheld regardless of which course the UK Government chooses.

Read the full text of the letter below, or in PDF format here.

Dear President Tusk, Dear Mr Barnier, Dear President Juncker, Dear Mr Verhofstadt,

We are writing to urgently request that you act now to ring-fence the rights of citizens within the Brexit negotiations.  We believe the EU should if needs be do this unilaterally and commit our good offices to urge the UK government to do the same.

Following the rejection by the House of Commons of the UK Government’s deal on the Withdrawal Agreement and the future relationship with the EU, it is of crucial importance that action is taken swiftly to calm the very real fears of many EU citizens across the continent. The scale of the defeat (230 votes) means that the deal as it currently stands seems very unlikely to ever pass the House of Commons.  This would mean that the operative provisions on Citizens Rights may not come into effect, impacting upon millions of European citizens resident in the UK and UK citizens across the EU.

It is unacceptable that our citizens have been subject to such uncertainty so long and where we fully recognise the failure is on the UK side, we now need the European Union to live up to its promises given that it has the capacity to do so.

Were the Member States to come together at Council level and agree to enshrine the rights of UK nationals – including their existing freedom of movement rights – in a legally binding agreement as an EU-wide solution, rather than rely on more piecemeal national legislation for each individual Member State which can be adjusted or overturned at any moment, we believe that this would act as a huge incentive for the UK government to reciprocate.

We absolutely appreciate the reasoning behind your previously stated position that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”, however we have now reached such a point that it is entirely possible that nothing at all will be agreed. Therefore, we kindly urge you to now look at salvaging whatever possible on the behalf of our citizens who are so desperately seeking reassurances.

We thank you for your urgent consideration and look forward to a positive reply.

Richard Ashworth MEP

Catherine Bearder MEP

Paul Brannan MEP

Richard Corbett MEP

Seb Dance MEP

Jill Evans MEP

Julie Girling MEP

Theresa Griffin MEP

Mary Honeyball MEP

John Howarth MEP

Wajid Khan MEP

Jude Kirton-Darling MEP

Jean Lambert MEP

David Martin MEP

Linda McAvan MEP

Clare Moody MEP

Rory Palmer MEP

Molly Scott Cato MEP

Alyn Smith MEP

Catherine Stihler MEP

Charles Tannock MEP

Keith Taylor MEP

Derek Vaughan MEP

Julie Ward MEP

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Today, London’s Evening Standard has published a letter to the editor from Jean Lambert MEP.

The letter criticises the Government for failing to launch its planned consultation on the proposed Shared Prosperity Fund, which is intended to ensure that the UK’s communities and projects do not lose out after Brexit.

Read the full letter below or on the Evening Standard website.

You can also read more about this important issue, and find out how it will impact Londoners in particular, in Jean’s report Losing it Over Brexit.

 
Government has to tackle inequality

Every year, the EU contributes just over £500 million to London’s communities and projects.

The Government promised to consult on a “Shared Prosperity Fund” by the end of 2018. This new fund would “use the structural money that comes back to the UK as a result of Brexit” to reduce inequalities.

We are now in 2019 — with less than 80 days to go until Brexit — and there’s no sign of this consultation. It’s time ministers guaranteed these projects, or vulnerable Londoners  will pay the price.

Jean Lambert MEP
London’s Green Party Member of the European Parliament

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Last week, the Home Secretary declared the attempts by desperate refugees to cross the English Channel a ‘major incident’, posing the question: “If you are a genuine asylum seeker why have you not sought asylum in the first safe country that you arrived in?” [1]

Jean Lambert, London’s Green Party MEP, has written an open letter to Sajid Javid to provide some clear answers to this question, and urge him to open more safe, legal pathways for refugees to claim sanctuary in the UK.

Ms Lambert writes: “As Brexit threatens to tear this country apart at the seams, the arrival of a few hundred asylum seekers in Dover does not constitute a ‘major incident’ for the UK. It is, however, a ‘major incident’ for the people who have risked their lives to reach our shores. It’s time that UK policy reflected that.” ​

​Read the letter from Jean Lambert MEP in full below, or in PDF format here.

You can also read the open letter on Metro.co.uk here.

Dear Home Secretary,

Last week, you asked: “If you are a genuine asylum seeker why have you not sought asylum in the first safe country that you arrived in?”
​
As an MEP who has worked on asylum issues for almost 20 years, I can offer an insight into why people are prepared to risk their lives, crossing the Channel in a leaky rubber dinghy, to reach the UK.

Why are refugees coming to the UK?

Some asylum seekers have family members or close friends here in the UK, and are willing to put themselves in harm’s way to be reunited. Many speak English, and hope that their language skills will help them integrate into their new home, find work, and contribute to society.

Others have received an extremely hostile welcome in Europe – whether left to languish in a squalid camp in Greece without adequate medical care, or forced to squat in a disused building in Italy. In northern France, just 21 miles from UK shores, refugees are exposed to regular police violence and brutality – their tents seized, their bones broken, and their faces sprayed with teargas.

While these countries may be considered ‘safe’ for lucky individuals such as you or I, they are not always safe places for people who are forced to flee their homes and arrive in Europe via irregular routes.

The UK has consistently sought to project an image of itself as a place where human rights will be upheld and defended. You, as Home Secretary, have a moral duty to ensure this is the case.

How should the Home Office respond?

Firstly, the response to this incident must be proportionate. While some 312 refugees arrived on the coast of Kent in small boats in 2018, a total of 116,295 arrived by sea to Italy, Greece, Spain and Cyprus. Tragically, more than 2,000 didn’t make it – reported dead or missing. These stark figures make it clear there is no ‘refugee crisis’ in the UK, and Home Office rhetoric must reflect this.

Secondly, if the Home Office truly prioritises the safety of people making these dangerous journeys, it should take full advantage of its resettlement schemes – currently the only safe, legal routes to claim asylum here in the UK.

It is extremely alarming that only 20 unaccompanied children have been resettled in the UK over the past two years under the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme, which allows for the transfer of 3,000 vulnerable young people from conflict zones. Meanwhile the Dubs scheme sits collecting dust, having transferred just 220 of its target 480 children to safe homes here in the UK.

The UK can and should do better than this, as evidenced by the resounding success of the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, which has found new homes for more than 11,000 people displaced by the conflict in Syria.

Additionally, the UK could show solidarity with the EU Member States who are under particular pressure, such as Greece, Italy and Spain. There is no requirement under the Dublin III Regulation to return people to the first ‘safe’ country they arrived in – a Member State can say it will deal with the claim of asylum seekers who have moved on, rather than return them. The UK could also have offered to participate in the EU’s relocation proposals, which would have helped reduce the waiting time for a decision on an individual’s asylum application, rather than forcing them to put their lives on hold in refugee camps.

Finally, the Home Office needs to think innovatively in order to prevent vulnerable people dying at sea. For example, it could introduce a humanitarian visa system – as the European Parliament voted to establish last month – which would allow asylum seekers to apply for visas at embassies and consulates, rather than embarking on treacherous journeys in rickety boats.

I enclose two of the Greens/EFA’s recent publications on these issues:

1) ‘The Green Alternative to the Dublin System’ (which has helped inform the European Parliament’s proposals for a revised Dublin system)

2) ‘The EU-Turkey Statement and the Greek Hotspots’ (which explains why some asylum seekers feel they cannot stay in their first country of arrival, ands set out our proposals for a new, humane EU asylum policy).

As Brexit threatens to tear this country apart at the seams, the arrival of a few hundred asylum seekers in Dover does not constitute a ‘major incident’ for the UK. It is, however, a ‘major incident’ for the people who have risked their lives to reach our shores. It’s time that UK policy reflected that.

Yours sincerely,

Jean Lambert MEP

Notes:

[1]  https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/02/people-crossing-channel-not-genuine-asylum-seekers-javid

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Two humanitarian workers, Sean Binder and Sarah Mardini, have been detained in Lesvos since 21 August 2018 on human trafficking charges. When arrested, both were volunteering with Emergency Centre Response International (ERCI), a Greek NGO that runs a search and rescue programme in the waters around the island.

A group of 37 cross-party MEPs, including Jean Lambert, have written an open letter stressing that humanitarian workers should never be treated as criminals. They call on the Greek authorities to take any appropriate action in order to free Sean and Sarah until their trial.

Read the full letter and list of signatories below, or click here for a PDF version.

On 21st August 2018, Greek Police arrested humanitarian workers Mr Séan
Binder and Ms Sarah Mardini on several charges, including that of human
trafficking. They were subsequently taken into Mytilene police station,
questioned, and detained on orders by the Magistrate of Mytilene and remain in
detention since then.

When arrested, both Séan and Sarah were volunteering with Emergency
Response Centre International (ERCI), a Greek non-profit humanitarian
organisation that runs a search and rescue programme in Lesvos, as well as a
medical clinic offering primary care in the Moria refugee camp. The organisation
was well known, was cooperating with the relevant Greek Authorities and had
their authorisation, both on the search and rescue operations as well as inside the
Moria refugee camp.

We, the undersigned Members of the European Parliament, wish not to interfere
in the substance of the judicial proceedings and we have absolute confidence in
integrity and impartiality of the Greek judicial system, as proven with the recent
case of the Spanish coastguards.

However, we strongly believe that humanitarian workers do not pose a threat to
society and should not be treated as criminals. We join our voices to those of their
families, of the Universities where Sarah and Séan are studying, of other
humanitarian NGOs and organisations and of all the people around Europe who
appreciate the efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need or in
distress at sea.

We call, therefore, for any appropriate action to be taken by the relevant Greek
Authorities in order to free Séan and Sarah until their trial. To this end, we would
urge the relevant authorities of the UNHCR in Greece to contribute by providing
to the Greek Justice all the necessary elements for them to properly conduct their
work.

Guy Verhofstadt (Chair of the ALDE group)
Ska Keller (Co-Chair of the GREENS/EFA group)
Gabi Zimmer (Chair of the GUE/NGL group)
Claude Moraes (Chair of the LIBE Committee)
Birgit Sippel (Coordinator for the S&D group in LIBE Committee)
Cornelia Ernst (Coordinator for the GUE/NGL group in LIBE Committee)
Martina Anderson (GUE/NGL)
Malin Björk (GUE/NGL)
Lynn Boylan (GUE/NGL)
Klaus Buchner (GREENS/EFA)
Matt Carthy (GUE/NGL)
Tanja Fajon (Vice-Chair of the S&D group)
Ana Gomes (S&D)
Sophie In’t Veld (Vice-Chair of the ALDE group)
Barbara Lochbihler (GREENS/EFA)
Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D)
Sabine Lösing (GUE/NGL)
Martina Michels (GUE/NGL)
Stelios Kouloglou (GUE/NGL)
Merja Kyllönen (GUE/NGL)
Liadh NiRiada (GUE/NGL)
Dimitrios Papadimoulis (GUE/NGL, EP Vice President)
Morten Helveg Petersen (ALDE)
Maria Heubuch (GREENS/EFA)
Christine Revault d’Allonnes-Bonnefoy (S&D)
Jens Rohde (ALDE)
Martin Schirdewan (GUE/NGL)
Elly Schlein (S&D)
Helmut Scholz (GUE/NGL)
Lidia Senra Rodríguez (GUE/NGL)
Barbara Spinelli (GUE/NGL)
Bart Staes (GREENS/EFA)
Miguel Urban Crespo (GUE/NGL)
Ernest Urtasun (GREENS/EFA)
Marie-Christine Vergiat (GUE/NGL)
Julie Ward (S&D)

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Jean Lambert, London’s Green MEP, is one of 78 MPs, peers and MEPs who have written to the Director of Intelligence at the National Crime Agency and the commander of Specialist Crime at the Metropolitan Police seeking reassurance that they are pursuing criminal investigations into Vote Leave.

The cross-party signatories, which include all three UK Green MEPs, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, Lib Dem leader Vince Cable, Labour’s Lord Adonis and Conservative MP Dominic Grieve, are demanding to know whether the law enforcement agencies are carrying out investigations to determine whether prosecution might be appropriate. They have also questioned whether the Government has put pressure on the agencies to “soft-pedal” the investigation due to political sensitivities.

Read the full letter and the list of signatories below.

Dear Steve Smart
Dear Stuart Cundy

Your Investigation into the Activities of Vote Leave

In August a large group of elected representatives wrote to you requesting that you undertake a thorough criminal investigation and – where necessary – prosecution following the investigations by the Information Commissioner’s Office and Electoral Commission into the activities of Vote Leave. The work of the two Commissions is extremely important, but so is your role and responsibility in investigating wrong-doing, enforcing our laws and protecting our democracy.

We were glad to receive your responses but are not satisfied with their contents. You both point towards ‘prosecutions’ by the Electoral Commission, although it is clear that this Commission has no such powers available to it. Similarly, you both suggest that you are awaiting more evidence before you pursue prosecutions. But if it is not the role of your agencies to seek out such evidence via a thorough and wide-ranging investigation then whose responsibility could it be?

We were concerned to learn as a result of a journalistic investigation that your investigation is stalled, that you are remain in the phase of assessing evidence and that this may be the result of the political sensitivity of the case.

As elected representatives we carry a particular responsibility to defend both the rule of law and the integrity of our democratic system. On that basis we would ask you for absolute clarity with regard to the following questions:

• Do you consider that there is evidence of law-breaking by staff and board members of Vote Leave?
• Are you pursuing an investigation into this matter to determine whether prosecution might be appropriate?
• Have you been approached by government representatives to suggest that you soft-pedal this investigation due to political sensitivities?

The British citizens we represent need to be reassured not only that those who subverted the EU referendum will be held fully to account, but also that there can be no suggestion of our senior police officers being sensitive to political considerations in their decisions about which investigations to pursue. We seek an urgent response from you to provide this reassurance.

Signatories

MPs

1. Rushanara Ali MP, Bethnal Green and Bow (Labour)
2. Tonia Antonniazzi MP, Gower (Labour)
3. Luciana Berger MP, Liverpool Wavertree (Labour coop)
4. Ben Bradshaw MP, Exeter (Labour)
5. Tom Brake MP, Carshalton and Wallington (Liberal Democrat)
6. Lyn Brown MP, West Ham (Labour)
7. Sir Vince Cable MP, Twickenham (Liberal Democrat)
8. Ruth Cadbury MP, Brentford and Isleworth (Labour)
9. Ann Coffey MP, Stockport (Labour)
10. Stella Creasy MP, Walthamstow (Labour)
11. Janet Daby MP, Lewisham east (Labour)
12. Sir Ed Davey MP, Kingston and Surbiton (Liberal Democrat)
13. Geraint Davies MP, Swansea West (Labour)
14. Martyn Day MP, Linlithgow and East Falkirk (SNP)
15. Stephen Doughty MP, Cardiff South and Penarth (Labour)
16. Rosie Duffield MP, Canterbury (Labour)
17. Maria Eagle MP, Garston and Halewood (Labour)
18. Jonathan Edwards MP, Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (Plaid Cymru)
19. Mike Gapes MP, Ilford South (Labour coop)
20. Kate Green MP, Stretford and Urstrom (Labour)
21. Lillian Greenwood MP, Nottingham South (Labour)
22. Helen Hayes MP, Dulwich and West Norwood (Labour)
23. Wera Hobhouse MP, Bath (Lib dem)
24. Margaret Hodge MP, Barking (Labour)
25. Rupa Huq MP, Ealing Central and Action (Labour)
26. Liz Kendall MP, Leicester West (Labour)
27. Peter Kyle MP, Hove (Labour)
28. Ben Lake MP, Ceredigion (Plaid Cymru)
29. David Lammy MP, Tottenham (Labour)
30. Caroline Lucas MP, Brighton Pavilion (Green Party)
31. Catherine Mckinnell MP, Newcastle upon Tyne North (Labour)
32. Anna McMorrin MP, Cardiff North (Welsh Labour)
33. Madeleine Moon MP, Bridgend (Labour)
34. Brendan O’Hara MP, Argyll and Bute (SNP)
35. Layla Moran MP, Oxford West and Abington (Liberal Democracy)
36. Ian Murray MP, Edinburgh South (Labour)
37. Rachel Reeves MP, Leeds West (Labour)
38. Liz Saville Roberts MP, Dwyfor Meirionnydd (Plaid Cymru)
39. Andrew Slaughter MP, Hammersmith (Labour)
40. Owen Smith MP, Pontypridd (Labour)
41. Angela Smith MP, Sheffield (Labour)
42. Jamie Stone MP, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (Liberal Democrat)
43. Anna Turley MP, Redcar (Labour coop)
44. Chuka Umunna MP, Streatham (Labour)
45. Catherine West MP, Hornsey and Wood Green (Labour)
46. Matt Western MP, Warwick and Leamington (Labour)
47. Philippa Whitford MP, Central Ayrshire (SNP)
48. Hywel Williams MP, Arfon (Plaid Cymru)
49. Paul Williams MP, Stockton South (Labour)
50. Phil Wilson MP, Sedgefield (Labour)
51. Daniel Zeichner MP, Cambridge (Labour)

Peers

1. Baron Andrew Adonis (Labour)
2. Baroness Ros Altmann (Conservative)
3. Lord Michael Cashman CBE (Labour)
4. Baroness Jenny Jones (Green Party)
5. Baroness Ann Ludford (Liberal Democrat)
6. Lord Richard Newby OBE PC (Liberal Democrat)
7. Lord William Wallace (Liberal Democrat)
8. Lord Dafydd Wigley (Plaid Cymru)

MEPs

1. Richard Ashworth MEP, Scotland (Independent)
2. Catherine Bearder MEP, South East England (Lib Dem)
3. Richard Corbett MEP, Yorkshire & Humber (Labour)
4. Seb Dance MEP, London Region (labour)
5. Jill Evans MEP, Wales (Plaid Cymru)
6. Julie Girling MEP, South West England (Independent)
7. Mary Honeyball MEP, London Region (Labour)
8. Jude Kirton-Darling MEP, North East England (Labour)
9. Jean Lambert MEP, London Region (Green Party)
10. Clare Moody MEP, South West (Labour)
11. Molly Scott Cato MEP, South West (Green Party)
12. Alyn Smith MEP, Scotland (SNP)
13. Catherine Stihler MEP, Scotland (Labour)
14. Charles Tannock MEP, London (Conservative)
15. Keith Taylor MEP, South East England (Green Party)

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Green MEPs have written to the Environment Secretary Michael Gove calling for a ban on the country’s most-used weedkiller after a scientific study reveals the harm it causes to precarious bee populations.

A groundbreaking study by biologists from the University of Texas demonstrated how glyphosate, the active ingredient in the most widely used pesticides in the world, is linked to increased mortality of honey bee colonies [1].

Glyphosate has also been classified as ‘probably carcinogenic’ [2] to humans by the World Health Organisation, and Monsanto, the world’s biggest glyphosate producer, was recently forced to pay out a record £300m in compensation to a US man who developed cancer after being exposed to the weedkiller [3].

The latest available stats show that more than 2,000 tonnes of glyphosate-containing pesticides were sprayed on crops across the UK in 2016 [4]. Meanwhile, bee populations in Britain, which provide a vital pollinator function, have shown a marked decline over the last thirty years.

The overwhelming scientific evidence linking another pesticide, neonicotinoids, with bee mortality led to a push by the EU to ban the use of substances and prompted Michael Gove to commit to banning its use in Britain [5].

UK Green MEPs have written to Mr Gove in light of the latest evidence, asking on the Defra Secretary to also urgently ban the use of glyphosate [6]

Jean Lambert, MEP for London, said:

“It is time to listen to the science and listen to the citizens. Just a few weeks ago, thousands of people joined the ‘Walk for Wildlife’; people in Britain and across the EU are no longer willing to stand by as our precious wildlife is destroyed. For that reason, glyphosate is another bee-killing pesticide that must go the way of neonicotinoids. And that is to say nothing of the carcinogenic threat the toxic weedkiller poses to human health.”

Keith Taylor, MEP for the South East, the animal rights spokesperson for the Green Party of England and Wales and a member of the European Parliament’s Environment and Public Health Committee, said:

“It is shameful that the evident risk to human health and the already established threats to soil health hasn’t yet moved the government to take action to end the use of glyphosate. Quite the opposite, in fact; the UK has consistently blocked attempts by MEPs to block the deadly pesticide.”

“But with Michael Gove’s fondness for bees, we can only hope this latest study will be the turning point and be the final nail in the coffin for this toxic weedkiller.”

More than one million European citizens have signed a petition calling for a ban on glyphosate [7]. Molly Scott Cato, MEP for the South West and a member of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, added:

“So far Michael Gove’s so-called ‘Green Brexit’ plans have not involved any suggestion of phasing out glyphosate. In fact, the emphasis on increasing yield while reducing carbon emissions suggests that Gove may favour the ‘min-till’ system of agriculture that abandons ploughing and relies heavily on glyphosate. But there is nothing green about the use of a chemical associated with a wide range of adverse health effects in humans, farm animals and wildlife. This latest study only proves the importance of an urgent transition towards non-chemical methods of dealing with weeds and pests. It would bee [sic] remiss of Mr Gove not to act.”

Notes to the editor

[1] DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1803880115
[2] https://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/2016/glyphosate_IARC2016.php
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/aug/10/monsanto-trial-cancer-dewayne-johnson-ruling
[4] Pesticide Usage Stats, Fera https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/pusstats/myindex.cfm
[5] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/09/uk-will-back-total-ban-on-bee-harming-pesticides-michael-gove-reveals
[6] http://www.jeanlambertmep.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/document.pdf
[7] https://greennews.ie/petition-signed-1-3-million-calling-ban-glyphosate-delivered-european-commission/

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Yesterday, Jean Lambert – London’s Green MEP and the Green Party’s migration spokesperson – visited the Sea-Watch search and rescue team in Malta. Their vessel should be at sea preventing people from drowning in the Mediterranean. Instead, it’s being unlawfully detained in Malta, while the Government decides whether to allow the team to get back to work.

Jean signed a joint letter to the Prime Minister of Malta, Dr. Joseph Muscat, alongside cross-party MEPs Martina Anderson (GUE/NDL) and Pieter Niedermuller (S&D). Together they urged the Prime Minister to end the unlawful detention in Malta of search and rescue boats, and give them clearance to leave the harbour. A humanitarian act such as rescue at sea is not a crime and should never be criminalised.

Read the full letter below, or in PDF format here.

Dear Prime Minister,

We, the undersigned MEPs, met last night with the crew of Seawatch and Lifeline to get an insight into the current situation of Search and Rescue (SAR) NGOs boats and aircraft that are being impounded in Malta.

It is with great concern that we call on you, as Prime Minister, to end the unlawful detention in Malta of SAR boats and the Moonbird aircraft and give them clearance to leave the harbour. A humanitarian act such as rescue at sea is not a crime and should never be criminalised. While we are witnessing an increased number of deaths at sea and a deteriorating security situation in Libya, saving lives at sea should remain the priority.

As members of the European Parliament who supported the European Parliament Position for a reform of the Dublin regulation that has at its core solidarity and responsibility-sharing, we will continue to stand with you for a fair distribution between EU Member States of the people rescued at sea. You can be assured that in the meantime, while we wait on the Council to adopt its position, we will use all the means at our disposal to convince Member States to relocate people that will be disembarked in Malta.

Yours sincerely,

Jean Lambert, MEP, Greens/EFA

Martina Anderson, MEP, GUE/NGL

Peter Niedermüller, MEP, S&D

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