Jean has responded to the UK Government’s Building Our Industrial Strategy green paper.

You can read her submission to the consultation here. It focuses on the following key issues, which the current proposals do not sufficiently address:

• A 21st century industrial strategy must put climate change and resource limits at its heart.
• The strategy’s overarching objective should be the transition towards a sustainable zero-carbon economy that affords genuine and more equitably distributed prosperity to the country.
• There needs to be greater recognition of the potential of the green economy – for jobs and economic renewal.
• In accelerating the transition towards a zero-carbon future, innovations and transformation in three sectors will have the greatest impact. These are: energy, transport and buildings.
• A regional focus is needed.
• We need to create secure jobs, not just any jobs – and especially in those regions with high levels of insecure employment.
• A broader range of indicators of success is needed than GDP growth.
• Concerns about productivity need to be broadened to focus on improving resource productivity/resource efficiency and strengthening the ‘circular economy’.
• We need a central, strategic role for public funding.
• Brexit and our regulatory environment. The EU27 is the second largest economy in the world (after the US) and it is inevitable that UK-based industry will seek to trade with the EU27 on favourable terms. This will only be possible if our economy and regulatory environment is kept in step with the EU27. We need to keep pace with EU standards in a broad range of areas, such as environmental and emissions standards, product safety, energy efficiency, labelling and animal welfare. We need to maintain a clear commitment to the precautionary principle.
• We need a flexible migration policy.
• There is need to foster social partnerships, work with trade unions and include workforce participation in industry.

ENDS

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The move comes as new government statistics show rising income inequality in the UK – with the richest 1% of households in the UK having greater wealth than half the UK population.

In the meantime the estimated gap between the pay of CEOs and employees has doubled in ten years.

Ms Lambert was joined outside the RBS building, in the heart of the City of London, by fellow Green candidates and campaigners to highlight the growing issue of income inequality in the capital.

Ms Lambert said: “Income inequality in the UK is amongst the highest in the developed world – and it’s getting worse.

“At the lower end of the scale, three quarter of a million Londoners earn less than the “living wage” – leaving them struggling to feed their families or pay the rent despite putting in the graft. This is unacceptable – the minimum wage should be a living wage.

“But it’s not just the lowest paid – average wages across the capital have been falling in real terms – while those at the top continue to reward themselves disproportionate sums.

“We need to rebalance the scales – to cap the earning of the elite few, and bring in fairer wages across the board.

“Bankers are the prime example of a pay system which is out of step with society. As a largely taxpayer owned company, RBS should lead from the front on this issue and introduce a maximum ratio of ten to one from the top to the bottom.

“Greens are the only group in Europe who are committed to ending this absurd concentration of wealth for a tiny elite.

“It was Greens who brought in the cap on bankers’ bonuses – something supported by three out of five Londoners, but fought tooth and nail by the UK Government.

“It shows the flawed priorities of our out-of-touch Tory-Lib Dem coalition that they won’t fight for fair pay for all Londoners, but they’ll go to court to protect bankers bonuses.

“It’s time to bring this inequality to halt, and make sure every wage is at least a living wage.”

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LONDON Euro-MP Jean Lambert has joined forces with the only female candidate to be the next President of the European Commission – German Green MEP Ska Keller – to call for the abolition of all university and college tuition fees.

Ms Lambert and Ms Keller – speaking in London after a YouGov poll revealed that only 41% of 17-21 year olds are planning to vote in the upcoming elections – were being hosted by the youth-wing of the Green Party of England and Wales, as it launched its manifesto ahead of next week’s election to the European Parliament.

Ska Keller, now 32, was one of the youngest MEPs to be elected to the European Parliament in 2009.

Ms Lambert, who is a member of the European Parliament’s cross-party Intergroup on Youth Issues, said: “Across the UK young people are really feeling the squeeze, and they’re fed up with politicians turning their backs on them.

“I’m here with Ska today to try to demonstrate that some politicians do care, and are calling for policies deigned to improve the lives of younger people.

“I hope everyone will vote next Thursday, and have their say on the future of Europe.”

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