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Sam Rowlands

@rowlands999.bsky.social
2.4K followers 743 following 34 posts

Climate, ecological and pollution crises. Green Party member. Sexual and reproductive health and rights. Visiting Professor, Faculty of Health, Environment & Medical Sciences, Bournemouth University, UK. Amateur birder and photographer. Learning French.

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Reposted by Sam Rowlands
Good Law Project @goodlawproject.org · 27/09/2026
Over 85,000 people have asked their local NHS Trust to say no to Palantir. Time is running out, so every email counts. Will you email your local trust and ask them to stand against Palantir? notopalantir.goodlawproject.org/ema…
notopalantir.goodlawproject.org
Say no to Palantir in the NHS
NHS England is rolling out software to run our health records from Palantir - fight back
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Reposted by Sam Rowlands
Prof Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
🌊 Ocean acidification has now joined the list of exceeded planetary boundaries. That makes 7 of 9. These are interconnected Earth-system pressures, collectively eroding resilience and shrinking humanity’s safe operating space. www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/late...
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The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 23/09/2026
This new open-access tool connects global extraction sites with the ten key metals inside smartphones.
tcnv.link
New mining map highlights damage caused by extracting metals for your smartphone
This new open-access tool connects global extraction sites with the ten key metals inside smartphones.
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Reposted by Sam Rowlands
George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
As former Labour minister Tom Watson joins Palantir, please read this devastating exposé by @petergeoghegan.bsky.social & @lucasamin.bsky.social of how the company, with Peter Mandelson's help, wormed its way into the UK government to sell its dire & dangerous products. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
lrb.co.uk
Peter Geoghegan and Lucas Amin · ‘This looks absolutely rubbish’: Palantir and the NHS
A decade ago Palantir was largely unknown in the UK. It now holds public contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds...
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Reposted by Sam Rowlands
The Green Party of England & Wales @greenparty.org.uk · 18/09/2026
"This is yet another example of the corrosive revolving door between politics and big business lobbying that has no place in public life." @sianberry.bsky.social responds to Labour Peer Tom Watson being hired by US spy-tech giant Palantir.
THE CORROSIVE REVOLVING DOOR BETWEEN POLITICS AND BIG BUSINESS LOBBYING

SIAN BERRY
MP FOR BRIGHTON PAVILION

“Palantir, with its work for ICE in the US and the IDF, has no business at all in our NHS and public services.

Tom Watson has been employed to lobby his friends in the Labour Government.

It is a disgrace he is still a member of the House of Lords and holds the Labour whip.”

Green Party
Promoted by Chris Williams on behalf of the Green Party of England and Wales c/o PO Box Green Party, London SE1P 6YL
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Reposted by Sam Rowlands
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 16/09/2026
Change happens rapidly when we know where to look: these solutions could tip the world towards a better future.
theconversation.com
Earthshot and the science of positive tipping points: how environmental progress can become unstoppable
Change happens rapidly when we know where to look: these solutions could tip the world towards a better future.
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Reposted by Sam Rowlands
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 14/09/2026
Our transport infrastructure and logistics supply chains were built for a stable environmental and energy baseline that no longer exists.
theconversation.com
How to build climate-resilient transport systems
Our transport infrastructure and logistics supply chains were built for a stable environmental and energy baseline that no longer exists.
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Reposted by Sam Rowlands
Sophie Duroy @sophieduroy.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
NEW PUBLICATION Very happy to share that my article on the Mazan/Pelicot case has been published in @flsjournal.bsky.social Read it open access here: doi.org/10.1007/s106... It is a very personal article, and I owe a lot to the colleagues & friends who helped me find my voice on this topic.
Screenshot of the article webpage. Abstract: This article offers a feminist socio-legal analysis of the Mazan case—the 2024 trial of 51 men for the rape of Gisèle Pelicot in France—and the 2025 consent law reform it inspired. Combining feminist legal theory, critical legal analysis, and situated reflection, it examines how patriarchal societies and legal systems convert gendered violence into narratives of protection and progress. Drawing on Iris Marion Young’s analysis of the logic of masculinist protection, the article shows how law, politics, and public discourse surrounding the case reproduced the patriarchal bargain that casts men and the state as protectors while shielding them from accountability. Through analysis of the myth of the “good man”, judicial responses to sexual violence, hierarchies of victims, and the structural affinities between patriarchal and security logics, the article argues that the Mazan case offered only the illusion of remedy, confirming the patriarchal system it appeared to challenge.
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Reposted by Sam Rowlands
The Green Party of England & Wales @greenparty.org.uk · 09/09/2026
On Emergency Services Day, the Green Party stands in solidarity with the incredible work of the RNLI. They are true patriots who selflessly risk their own lives to save others at sea.
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
This government is still sitting on parts of a buried report laying bare catastrophic risks facing us from ecosystems collapse. My message to @andyburnham.bsky.social: tell the truth. Release the report in full. And prepare the country for what's coming. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Polanski calls for report on ecosystem collapse to be published in full
Green leader says ministers must stop ‘hiding the truth’ about threat to UK security from climate and nature crisis
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Good Law Project @goodlawproject.org · 08/09/2026
Palantir have just signed a new £21m contract – this time with Britain’s grid operator. Who were the other bidders? Well, there weren’t any. The National Energy System Operator said it was too dependent on Palantir already to invite anyone else 🤔 bit.ly/4d3Z1Ku
ft.com
Britain’s grid operator gave Palantir contract without inviting rival bids
Neso cited a legal exemption that removes the requirement to consider other suppliers if dependencies leave no alternative
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Ed Hawkins @edhawkins.org · 07/09/2026
We haven’t just changed our weather. We’ve changed the climate in which our weather happens. climatelabbook.substack.com/p/learning-f...
climatelabbook.substack.com
Learning from the summers of 1976 and 2026
We have changed the climate in which our weather happens
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Reposted by Sam Rowlands
Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Labour stands up for corporations and big money. I'm running to stand up for people and our communities. www.camdennewjournal.co.uk/article/excl...
camdennewjournal.co.uk
Exclusive: Green Party leader Zack Polanski tells CNJ he WILL go for Holborn and St Pancras
Green leader lays out hopes for by-election
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Prof Julia Steinberger 🌹🌱🌍 #ClimateAction #Fightfascism @jksteinberger.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
⚠️ 🌍 ⚠️ We stand with humanity: A scientist statement to confront climate destruction⚠️ 🌍 ⚠️ ✒️ 🙏 If you are an academic or healthcare professional, please consider signing. 🙏✒️ framaforms.org/we-stand-wit...
framaforms.org
We stand with humanity: A scientist statement to confront climate destruction | Framaforms.org
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Prof Richard Betts @richardabetts.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
This summer was the hottest on record in the UK The summer of 1976 that some folks my age keep banging on about is now only the SEVENTH hottest on record The top five hottest summers all happened since 2003 We're heating the planet by burning fossil fuels www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/new...
metoffice.gov.uk
Summer 2026 provisionally hottest on record for the UK
The season’s mean temperature was made around 130 times more likely due to human-induced climate change.
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Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Now, in response to alerts from the UN's #Methane Alert and Response System, Turkmenistan has started plugging the leaks There's much more to do, but it's an "incredible first step" The 2nd biggest mega-leaker, the US, is doing nothing @unep.org 3/3 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Breakthrough’ as Turkmenistan starts fixing ‘mindboggling’ methane mega-leaks
Secretive state begins repairs on ageing facilities after being revealed as worst country for leaks of potent greenhouse gas
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Zoe Avison @zoeavison.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Very cool - switching from gas to electric induction cuts kitchen temperatures by 10 degrees, cuts hob cleaning times from 24mins to 21 seconds, cuts energy use by 2/3rds (a 9k saving in one pub) and yes - wok hei is still possible www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
The chefs turning down the heat by switching from gas to electric
As well as being quieter, cheaper to run and easier to clean, induction cookers can cut kitchen temperatures by up to 10C
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Doug Parr @dougparr.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Datacentres in Wapseys Wood, Bucks & Quest Park, Beds will use 1.3GW of gas power, producing over 4.5mt CO2. Well over 1% of UK emissions They've been fast-tracked through govt’s significant infra regime, allowing developers to bypass local planning objections www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Two planned datacentres will have higher UK carbon emissions than ExxonMobil, analysis finds
Exclusive: Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire sites predicted to emit 4.5m tonnes a year when fully running
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Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 25/06/2024
Over 61,000 Europeans died as a direct result of 2022 heat waves, most of them women, according to a recent study published in Science:
nature.com
Heat-related mortality in Europe during the summer of 2022 - Nature Medicine
This ecological analysis using the Eurostat database estimated that summer 2022, the hottest summer on record, was associated with over 61,000 heat-related deaths across 35 countries in Europe, with t...
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Annie Leymarie @annieleymarie.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
“Expanding oil/gas production...is not just an environmental crime but also economically illiterate. Climate change has already damaged the UK economy, with an estimated £4.4bn loss from this summer’s heatwaves alone. Remaining tied to the use of f. fuels...wd cost way more than it can ever deliver”
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Reposted by Sam Rowlands
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 24/08/2026
Data beats greenwashing. How a simple QR code connects you to a massive European database that exposes fake sustainability claims in seconds.
theconversation.com
The free EU database that tells you if an appliance is actually green
Data beats greenwashing. How a simple QR code connects you to a massive European database that exposes fake sustainability claims in seconds.
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Reposted by Sam Rowlands
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 24/08/2026
World’s oceans hit hottest temperature on record in August
theguardian.com
World’s oceans hit hottest temperature on record in August
Average sea surface temperature outside polar regions was 21.1C on Saturday, latest data finds The world’s oceans were hotter than ever previously recorded on Saturday, according to the latest data. The average surface temperature was 21.1C, with the rising marine heat a stark indicator of the climate crisis. More than 90% of the heat trapped by carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning enters the oceans. Continue reading...
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Sander van der Linden @profsanderlinden.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Climate doom may discourage climate action, but here's a way to counter it, our new research in @theconversation.com with the brill @racheloboyle.bsky.social @tylershores.bsky.social! theconversation.com/climate-doom...
theconversation.com
Climate doom may discourage climate action, but there’s a way to counter it
One way to guard against misinformation is to empower people to identify climate doom in the first place.
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Dr Charlie Gardner @charliejgardner.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
This morning we sprayed the Department of Energy and Security and Net Zero with fire extinguishers To tell the government we should be fighting the fires not adding fuel to them by opening up new oil and gas feel It felt good
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
The cyclospora outbreak has reached 13,895 cases across 47 states. The FDA has recalled 1.6 million eggs due to salmonella contamination. Screwworm cases continue to rise. And we’ve just surpassed 2,500 measles cases — breaking 2025’s record. “Make America Healthy Again.”
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James Dyke @jamesgdyke.info · 14/08/2026
Just got this national emergency alert about fire risk. Because of the extreme heat. Because of climate change. Of course it didn't make those connections, instead it told me to not use BBQs. We need a National Emergency Briefing on the climate crisis.
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Reposted by Sam Rowlands
UKOI @ukoi.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
www.goodnewsnetwork.org/ospreys-reco...
goodnewsnetwork.org
Ospreys Recover Thanks to ‘Pioneering Pairs’ Who Nest Away From Main Population
Ospreys are recovering in Britain thanks to ‘pioneering pairs’ who prefer to nest away from the main population, according to new research.
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Revealed: just 20 out of of 6,600 Defra staff working on climate adaptation, as UK burns in fifth heatwave of this summer - FOI request by me @andyburnham.bsky.social needs to level with the country about the climate crisis & set out radical plan to tackle it 🧵 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Just 20 of 6,600 Defra staff working on climate adaptation amid drought and wildfires
Exclusive: England ‘desperately unprepared’ for effects of crisis including water shortages and heatwaves
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Caroline Lucas @carolinelucas.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Really? Is that it? If this is all that’s come from COBR, it’s pitifully inadequate. As crisis deepens, it beggars belief that there aren’t eg plans to increase resources for the fire service, support for farmers, max workplace temperature, funded community cool spaces & obvs ban on new fossil fuels
independent.co.uk
Andy Burnham warns of summer ban on disposable barbecues
Andy Burnham said he would consider if a restriction on purchasing the products during the summer months could be justified
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Ian Denton @iand777.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
You can smell the New Forest fire in Dorset this morning.
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Andy Scollick @andyscollick.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
More catastrophe. #NewForest #wildfires
news.sky.com
Crews tackle major blaze on protected heathland in the New Forest after A31 vehicle fire
The blaze is on protected heathland which "globally is more rare than rainforest with lots of rare species", experts said - while fire crews are set to remain on site in the New Forest for the "forese...
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Clive Lewis MP @labourlewis.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
1/3 The dangers of the NHS's £330m contract with Palantir are well known. A subscription-based contract that leaves the NHS without meaningful ownership. Lock-in to a single supplier that risks future price gouging. Critical health infrastructure dependent on a shady spy-tech company.
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Ed Hawkins @edhawkins.org · 31/07/2026
The missing words in the climate conversation are not human-caused climate change, but fossil fuel emissions. By Hayley Fowler and myself: theconversation.com/was-this-hea...
theconversation.com
‘Was this heatwave caused by climate change?’ – we’re asking the wrong question
Instead of asking whether climate change caused a heatwave, we should ask how much hotter it became because of fossil fuel emissions.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
The 6 largest oil companies will collectively rake in $45B in profits in the second quarter of 2026 — nearly double what they made in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Canada, France, and Spain are battling record-breaking wildfires spurred by the climate crisis. Big Oil profits while the world burns.
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Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research @tyndallcentre.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Open letter to the Prime Minister on new North Sea drilling 📢 Prof. @kevinclimate.bsky.social & other Tyndall Centre scientists at @manchester.ac.uk have urged Andy Burnham to rule out further development of the Rosebank/Jackdaw fields: buff.ly/aGbyTqM Read the full letter: buff.ly/wiRoh7S
theguardian.com
PM urged to uphold climate pledges made as mayor and ban new North Sea oil drilling
Experts who helped Burnham draw up Manchester carbon neutral pledge say backtracking would send wrong message amid wildfires and heatwaves
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Leo Hickman @leohickman.carbonbrief.org · 30/07/2026
++BREAKING++ The UK and Spanish governments have issued a joint statement overnight: "[We] agreed that this summer’s wildfires demonstrated that climate change was now a national security emergency facing Europe and threatening our way of life." www.gov.uk/government/n...
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
"We, the undersigned, urge the Prime Minister to convene a live, televised emergency briefing, delivered by independent experts." We've an open letter in the FT today calling on Andy Burnham to hold a national emergency briefing on climate and nature.
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Ian Denton @iand777.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Confirmation of further White-tailed Eagle poisonings in Dorset raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/07/22/c...
raptorpersecutionuk.org
Confirmation of further White-tailed Eagle poisonings in Dorset
Press release from Wildlife Poisoning Research UK (WPRUK), 22 July 2026: CONFIRMATION OF FURTHER EAGLE POISONINGS IN DORSET The white tailed sea eagle is one of England’s rarest and most impressive…
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The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 13/07/2026
The UK Civil Aviation Authority thinks that passengers are still unaware of the rules.
tcnv.link
Why power banks in hold luggage pose such a risk on holiday flights
The UK Civil Aviation Authority thinks that passengers are still unaware of the rules.
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Deeply irresponsible. We're in a climate crisis. This is such a terrible start. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Burnham to announce plans for new North Sea oil and gas drilling
Drilling has become a controversial topic for the Labour party after the 2024 manifesto pledged to not issue new licences.
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Good Law Project @goodlawproject.org · 18/07/2026
Reproductive coercion isn't rare, it's just rarely talked about. Survivors are speaking out, but the law still doesn’t do enough to deter this abuse or hold perpetrators to account. So, we're working to push for better legal protections, join us 👇 goodlaw.social/db8s
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
New drilling isn't just a catastrophic signal of us stepping back from our climate commitments, it also runs against the geological reality of an almost depleted resource. Our focus should be on cheap, clean fuel for the future - not propping up oil and gas. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Burnham to Back North Sea Oil and Take Control of Thames Water
Within days of taking office incoming prime minister Andy Burnham is preparing to announce new drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea as well as taking public control of Thames Water.
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
If almost every person on Earth did nothing but make cups of tea, day and night, one every second, and poured every single one into the ocean, that's how much heat the ocean is absorbing. This heat absorption, driven by our CO₂ emissions, causes sea level rise, marine heatwaves, and polar ice melt.
theconversation.com
‘7.6 billion mugs of tea a second’: a new way to make sense of the heat pouring into our oceans
Most of the heat from global warming ends up in the oceans, not the atmosphere.
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
As wildfires rage, Andy Burnham still won't rule out airport expansion. He still hasn't commited to ending new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. The incoming Prime Minister can't say the climate crisis is an emergency whilst backing policies that make it worse.
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Atul Gawande @agawande.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
More signs of resurging HIV after USAID’s closure. African Neonatal Network reported at IMNCH (a global health conference): HIV+ pregnant women ↑50% & those not on antiretrovirals ↑>300%, year-on-year, across 22 hospitals in 5 nations. @vtoxfordnetwork.bsky.social
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The BMJ @bmj.com · 08/07/2026
"Data held on UK servers may still fall under US legal jurisdiction if controlled by a US company." The potential for foreign access to NHS data reminds us why sovereignty must underpin the federated data platform, writes David Strain www.bmj.com/content/394/...
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The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 08/07/2026
Heatwaves don’t just threaten your skin, they can damage insulin, inhalers and other medicines too, sometimes without any visible warning signs.
tcnv.link
How to keep your medicines safe during hot weather
Heatwaves don’t just threaten your skin, they can damage insulin, inhalers and other medicines too, sometimes without any visible warning signs.
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Director of a Gaza Hospital, Dr Hussain Abu Safiya is in horrific danger to his life. The Foreign Secretary must demand Israel provides urgent treatment and releases him. He's been detained by Israel without charge since 2024 and reported to have new life threatening injuries.
Free Dr Hussam Abu Safiya now!
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Dr Ellie Chowns MP @elliechowns.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
The time has come for proportional representation. Together with cross-party leadership, I have written to Andy Burnham calling on him to commit to rebuilding public trust in politics and bringing in proportional representation before the next general election.
Dear Andy,  
“There is nothing more unstoppable than an idea whose time has come, and proportional 
representation’s time has come”. This is what you told Labour conference last year – and, as a cross
party group of MPs, we could not agree more.  
As you have recognised, we have a responsibility to rebuild the public’s trust in politics. As people 
struggle to pay their bills, fight to provide a home for their family, and watch as the world becomes yet 
more unstable, too many people have little belief that politicians are working for them. Sadly, 46% of 
people “almost never” trust British governments of any colour to place the needs of the nation before 
the interests of their own political party. In 1986, this figure was just 12%. This growing 
disillusionment is driving division and unrest in our communities.  
Specifically, voters now feel there is little connection between the paper they place in a ballot box and 
decisions made in Westminster. And they would be right. Almost three quarters of votes did not 
directly affect the outcome of the 2024 election, according to the Electoral Reform Society. How can 
we ask the public to trust our political system when so often their voice doesn’t count? 
Yet there is a remedy for this – one we know you support. Introducing proportional representation can 
ensure every vote matters at the next election.  
When you enter Downing Street, we call on you to: 
• Introduce proportional representation ahead of the next general election: We know you 
have committed in recent months to making proportional representation a future Labour 
manifesto commitment, but there is no time to lose. If we want to ensure our politics is not 
hijacked by those who seek to divide us, rebuilding trust through a more representative voting 
system is vital. 
• Set up a National Commission on Electoral Reform: We welcome the backing you have 
given to a national commission and urge you to set this up swiftly so it can report back to 
parliament i…Less than two months ago, you said you remained committed to proportional representation. You must 
make clear as Prime Minister that this remains an immediate priority and is front and centre of your 
plans to restore trust in politics.  
There is consistent support for electoral reform from a majority of the public. As you set out on your 
mission to deliver “the biggest rebalancing of power this country has ever seen”, it’s critical there’s no 
delay in making sure proportional representation is part of your agenda.  
Yours sincerely, 
Ellie Chowns MP, Leader of the Parliamentary Green Party 
Lisa Smart MP, Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesperson 
Dave Doogan MP, Leader of Scottish National Party in the House of Commons 
Liz Saville Roberts MP, Leader of Plaid Cymru in the House of Commons 
Sorcha Eastwood MP, Alliance Party
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Good news: We can tell you how much the globe will warm if we continue to burn fossil fuels and emit CO₂ at an alarming rate. Bad news: We’re terrible at telling you how bad the impacts will be, and they’re consistently worse than we predicted.
bloomberg.com
Extreme Heat Stuns Even Climate Scientists Who Saw It Coming
Record-breaking heat waves are even stunning scientists monitoring the acceleration of climate change.
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