Labour Party (UK)
Contents
Stance on fracking
In September 2016, shadow energy and climate secretary Barry Gardiner announced that a future Labour government would impose a national ban on fracking. The move was welcomed by green campaigners and local resident groups who are threatened by the industry. [1] While this became official party policy, several MPs suggested they remained unconvinced that a ban on fracking was desirable.
The party's position has previously been inconsistent or unclear. In February 2015, the Labour MPS abstained from a vote on an amendment for a moratorium on fracking, recommended by the Environmental Audit Committee. The amendment was not approved and voted down by 302 votes to 52 against a moratorium.[2] Labour did table a series of other amendments on the conditions that need to be met before shale gas exploration can take place, but they were voted down in the House of Lords.[3]
Labour's 2015 general election manifesto showed support for a regulated fracking industry, pledging to 'establish a robust environmental and regulatory regime before extraction can take place. And to safeguard the future of the offshore oil and gas industry, we will provide a long-term strategy for the [fracking] industry, including more certainty on tax rates and making the most of the potential for carbon storage.' [4]
Political communications
The first year of the Gordon Brown's term as Prime Minister coincided with a 16% rise in the cost of government advertising, marketing and publicity. Government advertising attracted particular controversy in 2009, when the Home Office, according to a Select Committee on Communications report, "abused the marketing funds by funding newspapers [sic.] advertisements on police during the local elections “purdah” period, mirroring the Labour Party’s own campaigning."[5]
The report said there had also been an historic trend of COI advertising strangely rising just before an expected general election.[5]
Central Office of Information spending on public relations, marketing and advertising in 2007-8 cost £391 million a year, more than three times the rate that Labour inherited.
COI Spending £
- 1997–98 £111 million
- 1998–99 £173 million
- 1999–00 £200 million
- 2000–01 £295 million
- 2001–02 £273 million
- 2002–03 £267 million
- 2003–04 £317 million
- 2004–05 £343 million
- 2005–06 £322 million
- 2006–07 £338 million
- 2007–08 £391 million
Associated organisatons
Partner organisations
- The Co-operative Party
- Party of European Socialists
- Socialist International
- Trades Union Congress
- Young Labour
Thinks tanks and lobby groups
- Blue Labour | Campaign for Labour Party Democracy | Chartist | Compass | Demos | The Fabian Society | Grassroots Alliance | Independent Labour Publications (ILP) | Institute for Public Policy Research | Labour Co-ordinating Committee | Labour First | Labour Left Briefing | Labour Representation Committee | New Wave Labour | Progress | Save the Labour Party | Scottish Labour Party Campaign for Socialism | Socialist Appeal | Socialist Campaign Group | Tribune
Resources
See: Fracking Spads
- New Labour: Donors
- New Labour: Special Advisers
- Donations from the Big Four under the Coalition Government
Notes
- ↑ Adam Vaughan, Labour government would ban fracking in UK, The Guardian, 26 September 2016, accessed 24 October 2016.
- ↑ Fracking moratorium rejected by MPs, BBC News, 26 January 2015, accessed 15 September 2016
- ↑ Damian Carrington, Fracking will be allowed under national parks, UK decides, The Guardian, 12 February 2015, accessed 27 October 2016.
- ↑ Ben Lucas, The General Election and Fracking – What do the Manifestos Say?, DESMOGUK, 17 April 2015, accessed 27 October 2016.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Government Communication House of Lords: Select Committee on Communication, accessed 26 January 2009
