Luke Pollard MP Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
Rishi Sunak has today announced that he is copying and pasting Labour’s plan to ban bonuses for polluting water bosses. Where Labour leads on tackling sewage, the Conservatives follow.
The government is out of ideas and, having failed to get to grips with the sewage crisis over 14 years, all they can do is lift Labour’s policies.
In the South West raw sewage is a major problem and we have suffered before from dumping into our rivers and seas. As a regular wild swimmer myself, I know how deeply important this issue is to so many in our city.
It is because of this that I have been so committed to campaigning for cleaner waters in our area. I led the campaign to designate Devil’s Point/Firestone Bay as a bathing water, and separately brokered a deal between South West Water and residents to close two private sewers that were discharging raw sewage into Plymouth Sound.
On 18th January I held a roundtable event at the National Marine Aquarium, bringing together organisations from across the city to discuss how we can improve water quality, as there is still work to be done to protect local areas.
A Labour government will go even further to ensure that our seas and rivers are protected. Labour will:
- End self-monitoring and force all companies to monitor every single water outlet so companies can no longer cover up illegal sewage dumping;
- Make water bosses face personal criminal liability for extreme and persistent lawbreaking;
- Introduce severe and automatic fines that no water bosses can ignore for illegal sewage discharges.
Responding to the government adopting Labour’s plan to ban bonuses for polluting water bosses, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, Steve Reed MP said:
“Once again Labour leads, the Conservatives follow.
“Labour called for the water regulator to be given new powers to block bonuses for polluting water bosses last year. After doing nothing for 14 years, the Conservatives have now been shamed into adopting Labour’s plan.
“But they must go further and back Labour’s whole plan to clean up our rivers, and ensure that executives who are responsible for repeated illegal sewage dumping, face criminal charges.”