King’s Speech was missed opportunity for the environment - Lorna Slater

Donald Trump speaking at a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Last week saw the annual King’s Speech, which is one of the biggest dates in the Westminster calendar. It is the time when a government can lay out its plans, ambitions and vision for the year ahead.

A lot of the focus was on the pomp and pageantry of the occasion, and on the King himself, but it is the words he said that were the most important part and will be most consequential.

With a new Prime Minister at the helm, it was the new government’s first opportunity to set out what they will do and how they will do it. It was a chance to finally turn the page on 14 years of Tory rule, and start the crucial work of building a greener economy for people and planet.

Yet, despite the immense urgency of the situation we are in, this was a huge missed opportunity. Where there should have been bold and transformative change we were offered dull and conservative managerialism.

The climate crisis was largely absent from the speech, with some allusions towards a Great British Energy project that no minister can seem to define and that we now know could take five years to deliver.

There was no pledge to halt any of the dozens of new oil and gas licences agreed to by the Tories or invest the £28 billion annually that’s needed at a minimum to ensure a just transition from fossil fuels.

Nor was there anything remotely substantial on decarbonising our transport system, or cutting emissions from our farms, or making our homes greener, warmer and cheaper to heat.

The one solid environmental announcement of supporting the development of sustainable aviation fuels would have been far more welcome if it was accompanied by significant measures to cut flying overall, such as a new tax on private jet use and frequent flyers.

The lack of climate ambition should concern all of us, as the consequences of inaction will only get more severe. We are already seeing them every day, with climate chaos around the world.

With the threat of the anti-climate far right growing across Europe, and with the very real prospect of Donald Trump returning to the White House in the months ahead, this is a time for progressive governments to be living up to their rhetoric and delivering the action that is needed.

The Labour government has the resources and power to make big strides for our climate. I, and many others, will do all we can to push them into doing so.