Thousands of people from across the country travelled to London to demand that Parliament takes more radical action on climate change and environmental pollution. I met with around 30 people from Newcastle East, including students from St Mary’s School, to discuss the issues in more depth.

During the meeting I listened to concerns over the Government’s lack of action on areas such as renewable energy, pollution in the transport sector and plastic waste. These issues can only be tackled with a fundamental policy change that reaches across all departments of government. It was great to see that so many young people had such a good grasp of the issues being discussed and were enthusiastic about finding radical solutions.

I assured everyone that I understand the importance of the issue and explained the work that I had been doing in Parliament to influence the Government. I am glad that, under pressure from the Labour Party, the Government have now legislated for a target of at least a 100% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (compared to 1990) by 2050. Labour will continue to put pressure on the Government to ensure that this commitment is backed up by the policies needed to achieve it.