Ralph Palmer

Unsurprisingly, I'm a massive fan of Oxford Street pedestrianisation. Well done Mayor of @london.gov.uk 👏

We’ve made Oxford Street traffic-free – and that’s just the start. Soon there’ll be green spaces for arts and music too | Sadiq Khan

This is great to see. Making it easier for those without a driveway to access cheaper home charging is a critical step to ensuring the EV transition is fair & equitable. Further strengthening the rights of renters to request a charger would also be a really positive step. www.gov.uk/government/n...

A new funding system for an upgrade of Stratford train station is due to get the green light in next week’s Budget, a crucial step towards running international rail services from the east London hub for the first time.  www.ft.com/content/480d...

The middle of a fuel crisis that is continuously driving up inflation really is not the time to be watering down the UK's electric vehicle sales targets. The Government should stand firm.

“She and other office staff were called out from the offices into the stores, to help hand out shovels to the many local men who joined the recovery efforts.” Ahead of the 60th anniversary of Aberfan, Vikki Howells MS reflects on an industrial legacy that still shadows South Wales communities.

Private jets are not an area this government needs to be incrementalist. Great article by Martin Rhodes on why higher private jet taxes is a no-brainer for the Chancellor in his upcoming Budget. buff.ly/ckNbLsp

Critical, though, that the govt does not see this as an excuse/reason to retreat from the ZEV mandate & follow the EU down the path of making carve-outs for "alternative fuels". The govt has so far doubled down on its commitment to 100% EV sales from 2035; it would be a mistake to change course.

This - alongside the govt's commitment to a more "muscular" approach to industrial strategy - could be very good news for helping the UK in building a strong EV manufacturing base for the long-term. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

EV sales are booming while fossil fuel prices are soaring. For our climate, energy security & household living costs we need to double down on our EV ambition, not row back on it.

The pitch here seems to be, ‘we’ll build the houses and infrastructure we failed to build during the 14 years we were in government, but we’ll do it in the most damaging and lowest quality way possible’. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Baffling to see The Times claim that Burnham “did not mention energy” in his conference speech. Energy was referenced no fewer than 10 times, alongside a major announcement of £4bn for Great British Grid to cut connection delays and bring bills down. Britain's energy challenge was front & centre.

In August this year, for 1 month, the Government made bus journeys free for children in England. Now, new figures show that the scheme enabled more than 14 million free child journeys. One bus service in the North East had 710% more child passengers than last summer. Our reaction 👇

🏥 Climate Resilience and the NHS: How Climate Change is Weakening Our Health System From heatwaves to flooded clinics, extreme weather is placing immense strain on healthcare delivery. Join LCEF & @wellcometrust.bsky.social to discuss NHS climate resilience! 📅 Sun 27 Sept, 15:45 📍 LCEF Hub

Here's a chart from the post.... quite a change in a single generation.

Delighted to see Joe Fortune selected as new Gen Sec of the Labour Party. Sorry to lose a dedicated and supportive trustee from @lcefuk.bsky.social but hes going to do amazing things in his new role. Looking forward to continuing the good work with him.

"The climate crisis presents us with an enormous challenge and possibility... we need to change the way we travel, build homes and produce energy. I have long seen the green transition as the best chance we will ever have to reindustrialise Britain." Love to see. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Some awesome framing from the PM in the Guardian today to accompany the ambitious policy on community energy After a summer of wildfires, extreme heat and poor harvests, we can't afford to see climate as only a threat, we must make sure UK is making most of opportunities of the clean transition

📢 WE’RE HIRING: Parliamentary Engagement Manager 📢 The Labour Climate and Environment Forum (LCEF) is looking for a Parliamentary Engagement Manager to lead our work in Westminster and drive high climate and environmental ambition across the labour movement!

Petrol and diesel up 23% in a year. Fossil fuels are driving up costs and inflation. Net zero ain’t just good for the planet. It’s good for our pockets too.

Reindustrialising Britain will require an ambitious programme of investment and a clear strategic vision to transform our industries so they can thrive in a modern, green economy. Join LCEF and @tuc.org.uk for a discussion on what it will take to deliver on the reindustrialisation agenda.

🗓️ NEW EVENT: In Conversation with Miatta Fahnbulleh 🗓️ We're delighted to be hosting Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero @miattafahnbulleh.bsky.social in the LCEF Hub, in conversation with @pronouncedalva.bsky.social, Political Editor at the New Statesman.

The government's own figures indicates that the growth potential from Heathrow expansion is minimal, with huge environmental & social costs. Celeste Hicks from @theaef.bsky.social argues the UK needs a better approach, focused on scaling up the sustainable aviation sector. Link: buff.ly/vBAc4yX

The assertion from some that the UK's ZEV mandate is unworkable is fiction. It's working exactly as intended; driving up sales, driving down prices & widening choice for consumers, all while reducing emissions & cleaning up our air. The Govt should stand firm on targets.

Another big month for UK EV sales: 📈 30% of all new car sales in August were fully electric ✅ Sales for the year-to-date now at 25.5%, well ahead of what's needed for industry to hit targets with flexibilities applied ⬆️ Electric van sales hit a record high at 17% www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-...

London has too many diesel vans on our streets. 100,761 diesel vans were registered by businesses at the end of 2025, compared with just 5,582 electric vans. I’ve written for @lcefuk.bsky.social about how a zero-emission freight zone could help turn this around, building on the Dutch success.

"Adapting to our changing climate demands sustained attention, effort and investment. Others may simply deny the problem or stick their heads in the sand, but this government will rise to the challenge." This is great by @angelaeagle1.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

LCEF is proud to have supported this - with extreme heat becoming a regular occurrence in UK summers, it’s vital that we help keep people safe, cool and comfortable in their homes, as well as decarbonising to combat climate change. Air to air heat pumps will be an important part of the solution.

Today I've written for @labourlist.bsky.social on why working class communities deserve to see a bold plan from Labour on climate. Quite simply we all deserve to be safe and be protected. And there's quite a clear political case for the government too. labourlist.org/2026/08/work...

NHS must prepare for annual summer heat pressures, says Yvette Cooper

Let’s get a move on with air-con grants 🆒 Despite Labour approving grants for air to air heating and cooling systems last year, 4 heatwaves later and they still aren’t available… Why? Because agencies haven’t approved an accreditation scheme 😐 It’s time to get it done👇

Great to see yet another strong month for EV sales - up ~50% from July 2025 - with sales now over a 1/4 for the year-to-date, above what's needed to hit ZEV mandate targets. Despite what industry says, the ZEV mandate is working. The Government should stand firm. www.reuters.com/business/uk-...

Sheer fantasy to think that climate change is just going to give us 'hot weather like on holiday'. 300,000 people evacuated across France and Spain. Wildfires in the UK barely kept under control. Yes - we desperately need adaptation, but if we don't mitigate things will get drastically worse.

UK households free to install plug-in balcony #solar panels from end of August www.theguardian.com/money/2026/j...