CIWM has congratulated Liz Truss on winning the Conservative Party leadership race and becoming the new Prime Minister and urged her to prioritise the environment with her upcoming policies.
After Boris Johnson’s resignation on 7 July, Liz Truss was yesterday voted in as the leader of the Conservative Party, beating Conservative MP Rishi Sunak. Truss will now formally ask the Queen’s permission to form a government and become prime minister.
Commentating on the announcement, Policy and External Affairs Director at CIWM, Lee Marshall, said: “CIWM would like to congratulate Liz Truss on her appointment as Prime Minister.
“We would hope that the PM’s time as a former Secretary of State for the Environment means that she will continue to prioritise the environment and support the recycling and resource management sector in its efforts to help the UK reach its Net Zero and circular economy goals.
“There are several initiatives that require the PM’s immediate attention to ensure valuable time and momentum are not lost. These include the Government’s plans for the ambitious waste collection and packaging reforms agenda.”
There are several initiatives that require the PM’s immediate attention to ensure valuable time and momentum are not lost.
One task on Truss’ agenda is appointing her cabinet, which includes a new DEFRA minister. Jo Churchill, parliamentary under-secretary in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) from September 2021, resigned from her post on 6 July in protest against the then UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
What are Liz Truss’ green credentials?
During her campaign to become PM, Truss backed the Conservative Environment Network’s (CEN) five-point pledge card, which calls for a boost to domestic clean energy; the roll out of home insulation and vehicle charge points; investment in nascent clean energy technologies; continued implementation of the Government’s Environment Act, and support for more sustainable farming practices.
Truss has also said she would keep the current net zero target, as well as attend COP27 and the 15th biodiversity COP. In an interview with the BBC’s Nick Robinson during her campaign, said she will remove the ‘green levy’, a tax on sources of pollution or carbon emissions, despite the levies accounting for under 8% of an average energy bill’s costs, according to FullFact.Org.