The Bank is being set up to help support the development of renewable energy and other low-carbon technologies (1).

Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas wrote to BIS Minister Mark Prisk in August last year to outline the strong case for bringing the GIB to Brighton and Hove.

All of the bids will now be reviewed by a panel before a decision is announced next month.

Caroline said:

"With the UK's first Green-led council, some of the country's most pioneering eco entrepreneurs, and a wealth of green business expertise, there's no doubt that Brighton and Hove would be the perfect home for a new Green Investment Bank.

"In a letter to BIS Minister Mark Prisk in August last year, I urged him to consider these benefits, and now very much hope that our bid for the GIB - with all the job and investment opportunities it would bring - will be successful."

ENDS

Notes

Read more about Caroline's views on the Government's proposals for the GIB on her Guardian environment blog

AITC, the charitable arm of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, will showcase its broad range of community initiatives to an audience of MPs, local business leaders, and figures from the footballing world on Parliament's famous terrace.

Speaking ahead of the event, Caroline said:

"The fantastic work being done by Albion in the Community across Brighton and Hove shows that football can be a tremendous force for good, and I am absolutely delighted to be welcoming the AITC team to Parliament today.

"The opening of the Albion's new American Express Community Stadium was a source of great excitement in the city - and it's clear that a lot of effort has gone into building good relationships in the community.

"Today's reception will be an excellent opportunity for the charity to talk to MPs, business leaders and other guests about its success with initiatives such as the disability programme and adult education schemes."

Bill Randall, Leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, will also be attending the AITC reception this evening. He said:

"I have seen the positive contribution Albion in the Community can make to local neighbourhoods in my own ward and other parts of the city. But their work stretches as far afield as Africa and Kosovo.

"It's part of the overall work of the club, on and off the field, which has put a spring in the step of the city."

ENDS

Responding to the decision, Caroline said:

"The High Court ruling is a victory for the solar industry and for renewable energy campaigners in holding the Government to account over its illegal attempt to make retrospective changes to the solar tariff.

"Having lost twice in the Court of Appeal and been roundly humiliated over the shambolic handling of solar policy, it is absolutely beggars belief that the Department for Energy and Climate Change is apparently planning to appeal to the Supreme Court.

"The very least that the Secretary of State can now do is to show some integrity, accept that his ministers got it wrong on solar, and pull the plug on this legal merry-go-round which is putting UK jobs and future investment at risk."

ENDS

Notes

1) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16721328

More than half of those who took part said that alcohol was part of their social life (61%), while more than a third were worried about the effect alcohol has on people in the city.

The survey also revealed that 39.4% of local people avoid parts of Brighton & Hove because of the way drunk people behave.

Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas, a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Drug and Alcohol Harm Reduction, said:

"The results of the Big Alcohol Debate show clearly that alcohol is having a significant impact on Brighton and Hove.

"It simply isn't acceptable that certain parts of the city are seen as no-go areas because of drunken behaviour.

"Alcohol is now so much a part of everyday life that it's easy to underestimate the serious effect it can have on the way we live.

"We know that excessive drinking fuels many crimes, such as violent disorder, antisocial behaviour, and sexual assault (2).

"And in this city alone, we face an annual bill of £100 million for dealing with the effects of alcohol abuse.

"The Big Alcohol Debate has been a great way of opening up a conversation about alcohol in Brighton and Hove, and is a clear example of the good work that is being done on this issue at the local level.

"However, at the national level, it's about time that the Government came forward with an effective and coherent alcohol strategy."

Last year, Caroline tabled an Early Day Motion (3) asking the Chancellor to look at options to reduce the availability of ultra low price alcohol.

She said:

"My Motion directly targets the ultra low priced alcohol in supermarkets and off licenses which fuels our binge drinking culture.

"Pricing measures to prevent irresponsible retailers from offering heavy discounts would also reduce the pressure on the licensed trade and help to protect local pubs from closure.

"I'm also calling for super strength white cider to be brought under the same tax regime as beer, and for local authorities to be given far more control over licensing."

ENDS

1) Just over 1300 people completed the Big Alcohol Debate survey, with thousands more taking part in the Big Alcohol Debate on Twitter, in school focus groups, and in a travelling inflatable Big Brother-style Diary Room. More results will be reported in March.

2) Figures from Brighton and Hove City Council show that every week in the city there are on average:

• Two deaths associated with the impact of alcohol
• 66 ambulance call outs due to alcohol
• 97 alcohol-related inpatient admissions to hospital of Brighton and Hove adult residents
• 46 attendances at the A&E department related to alcohol

3) Early day motion 2264: AFFORDABILITY AND AVAILABILITY OF ALCOHOL AND RELATED HARM

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has written to the Pavilion MP in response to the popular campaign calling for Brighton and Hove to become a 'super-connected city' under a new Government scheme.

While the bid to be included in the scheme was turned down, Caroline has welcomed the minister's recognition of the importance of Brighton and Hove's digital and creative industries to the local economy.

She is now hoping that Jeremy Hunt will accept her invitation to meet with a local delegation to further explore what support the Government can offer to keep the city competitive.

Caroline said:

"I'm obviously disappointed that the Culture Secretary has decided not to let Brighton and Hove bid for the Government's new broadband scheme, particularly after the huge level of support shown for the Let Brighton Bid campaign by the Argus, business leaders and local  MPs.

"However, I am encouraged by his recognition of the scale and influence of the city's creative, digital and IT sector.

"I particularly welcome his commitment to work with the city to enable us to meet our ambition to be an even more significant technology and culture hub.

"I'm hopeful that he'll accept the invitation, which I've repeated in a letter today, to meet with a cross party delegation to discuss what practical support and action the Government can now offer Brighton and Hove's digital industries."

ENDS

Speaking in a debate on PubCos in Parliament today (1), Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas said it was ‘a scandal' that just a handful of big companies had been allowed to dominate the pub market.

Currently, tenants who are 'tied' to the PubCos can only buy a limited range of beer at inflated prices - a bad deal for consumers and for many lesees, threatening hundreds of successful and popular local pubs.

PubCos tell lesees in negotiations that they can choose to be free of tied options, but they often fail to mention that they have to pay a premium to qualify for this (2).

Caroline said:

"Pubs are central to our communities, and play a vital role in this city's economy and tourist industry.

"But the failure of the Government to call time on the damaging practices of the PubCos which dominate the market is putting all this at risk.

"The landlord of the Greys in Hanover tells me that his is the only pub that hasn't closed and re-opened in the last nine years.

"The London Unity has had three owners in two years, while the Geese has changed hands four times in six years.

"In all of these, the ‘tied' scheme was a significant factor. This means ruined livelihoods for the individual landlords and their families. It also means instability for our pubs and for our local economy."

Caroline continued:

"Business Secretary Vince Cable promised action to help save our pubs if the industry didn't get its own house in order. 

"But neither the industry nor the Secretary of State has delivered.

"The tied pubs in my constituency now want to know if and when the Business Secretary is going to keep his promise.

"We must not allow big business to continue to wield such unfair power over pub lesees, and must make possible for local brewers to sell their beers to local pubs.

"The Government's response has failed to address the key issues of providing lessees with a genuine option that is free of tie and guest beer, and so will not rebalance the relationship between struggling licensees and large pub companies."

She concluded:

"I fully support The Campaign for Real Ale's championing of well run community pubs. 

"An effective approach to reduce alcohol-related harm must involve support for good community pubs which provide a safe and responsible place for people to drink.

"Our community pubs should also be supported by a policy of minimum pricing of alcohol in supermarkets to begin to seriously tackle the problems caused for our pub trade (and indeed for society) by the off-sale of cheap, low quality alcohol.

ENDS

Notes

1) Caroline has also co-sponsored a Motion calling for a ‘Statutory code of practice for pub companies:

That this House believes that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills' proposals for reform of the pub industry fall short of the undertaking given to the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee in July 2010 and that only a statutory code of practice which includes a free-of-tie option with an open market rent review and an independent adjudicator will resolve the contractual problems between the pub companies and their lessees; and calls on the Government to commission a review of self-regulation of the pub industry in the Autumn of 2012 to be conducted by an independent body approved by the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee.

2) On wines and spirits, the charge is between £4000 and £5000 extra per year. It is a similar amount for bottled beers.  A typical annual rent for a pub tenant in Brighton is £25,000 a year.

Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, announced last month that fourteen cities across the UK are being targeted for the ultra-fast broadband project (2).

The four capitals - London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast - will automatically qualify, with the rest being chosen through a competition. This is currently open only to the eight core cities and the UK cities that have more than 150,000 dwellings (3).

But Caroline said today that the importance of Brighton and Hove's flourishing digital sector to the local economy makes it an ideal candidate for the scheme - and that its 125,000 dwellings put it very close to the threshold.

She said:

"Our city is home to one of the biggest and most successful digital sectors in the UK. It's already growing three times faster than the national average and is delivering the majority of new local jobs.

"But if Brighton and Hove is to stay competitive and be a big digital player in the long term, we must be allowed to bid for some of the £100m put aside for the Government's ultra-fast broadband scheme.

"The city has the biggest cluster of digital business per head of population in the UK and a widely recognised digital alliance with Bristol and Manchester, so becoming a super-connected city is crucial to keep us at the forefront of the technology revolution."

The MP has written to the Culture Secretary to make the case for Brighton and Hove's bid, and is encouraging people in the city to join a Twitter campaign using the hashtag #LetBrightonBid to persuade him to support it.

Caroline concluded: "I hope Jeremy Hunt will listen to our appeal today and agree to my invitation to meet a delegation of local representatives from the digital economy, so he can hear for himself the strong case for a super-connected Brighton and Hove."

"I also hope that my fellow MPs will join me in calling on the Government to give the city a chance to stay connected in the 21^st century."

Jason Kitcat, Green Councillor and Cabinet member for Finance & Central Services, said:

"Brighton and Hove has become a buzzing new media hub, and in order for us to keep our position as an industry leader, we believe we should get a fair chance to bid for these next generation broadband services."

ENDS

Notes

1) http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/news_stories/8732.aspx

2) Ultrafast broadband is taken as being that with a retail headline access (download) speed of at least 80Mbps.

3) These are Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield.

Pointing to the negative impact of the Coalition's extensive public spending cuts, Caroline said:

"That as many as 50,000 children in our region - 16% of all children in my constituency of Pavilion alone - are suffering the dire consequences of poverty and deprivation is absolutely unacceptable.

"Damningly, this crisis is exacerbated by the Coalition Government's savage and unnecessary cuts to public services, and its deeply unfair attack on the welfare provisions that give so many people a helping hand in difficult times.

"Brighton Housing Trust's Andy Winter highlights the changes to housing benefit entitlement in his latest blog, for example, which will mean 5,800 homes becoming unaffordable for those in the city on housing benefit.

"The Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned that a couple with two children will be £1,250 a year worse off by 2015 thanks to 'the burden of austerity'.

"Meanwhile, unemployment is rising and too few jobs are being created."

The Pavilion MP continued:

"When I visited the Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project last week, it was clear that demand amongst local people for its services has massively increased in recent months.

"Without their offer of food, clothing and childcare assistance, many people would have nowhere to turn.  

"But with budgets under severe pressure, organisations such as BUCFP can only do so much.

"The Government must now acknowledge the scale of child poverty in Sussex and across the UK, and urgently reverse its draconian austerity programme."

ENDS

Cuadrilla, the energy company behind controversial shale gas operations in Lancashire (1), has received planning permission and regulatory approval to start exploratory drilling for shale gas in Balcombe, near Haywards Heath.

Speaking to the Independent yesterday in light of a US Environmental Protection Agency study which has found links between fracking and groundwater contamination, Caroline said:

"As evidence mounts of the potentially negative effects of shale gas extraction both here and abroad, the need for a thorough and fully independent investigation into the environmental and health impacts of fracking becomes ever more urgent.

"The proposed changes to the UK's planning laws could make it far easier for companies such as Cuadrilla to gain permission for shale gas operations, while at the same time Ministers are failing to address the weaknesses in the regulatory framework which should protect local communities.

"I recently quizzed Defra Secretary Caroline Spelman about the fact that, according to the European Commission, the chemicals used in fracking are not registered for this purpose under the REACH regulation, which could make it illegal.

"Almost one month on, I am still waiting for a response."

She concluded:

"Given these concerns, and the fact that any significant investment in shale gas will seriously undermine the UK's transition towards genuinely clean energy, the Government should halt operations and impose a moratorium on new shale gas exploration - at least until a more detailed and independent assessment is forthcoming."

ENDS

Notes

1) A recent Cuadrilla study found that it was 'highly likely' that its fracking operations were responsible for earth tremors in Lancashire: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-15550458

A period of Government consultation and legislative changes will now take place, with Ofcom expecting to award the licences in 2012.

Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas wrote a letter in support of Brighton and Hove's successful bid earlier this year.

Welcoming the announcement by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt yesterday, she said:

 "Having supported the bid by Brighton and Hove to secure a new local TV station, I am delighted that we have been chosen as one of the twenty 'pioneer' areas for this exciting project.

"Brighton and Hove is a vibrant and progressive city with a wealth of media talent and a strong track record of community engagement, making it ideally placed to champion and make a success of local TV."

ENDS

Commenting on the controversial move, the Pavilion MP said:

"It is bitterly ironic that the Prime Minister claims he wielded his veto to protect the interests of the city of London, when it is precisely the City's loose and unregulated financial system that has been so much part of the economic problem.

"The recklessness of the private financial system has contributed significantly to the rise in public debt. Until we properly regulate the global banking system, there can be little hope of even the European Court of Justice imposing ‘budgetary discipline'.

"We must not fall into Cameron's trap of conflating the national interest with that of the financial sector. In these tough times, people in my constituency need strong, fair and sustainable policies to stabilise the economy, create jobs and benefit the majority - not just the few."

ENDS

Commenting on the deal done at the COP17 climate negotiations yesterday, the Brighton Pavilion MP said:

"Politically, the COP17 talks have offered some hope in the form of a roadmap towards a new treaty to succeed Kyoto, which comes to an end next year.

"That this agreement to cut emissions will have legal force and is to include the big polluter, the United States - as well as the fast growing economies such as China, India and Brazil - is extremely encouraging.

"But sadly, it says a lot about people's faith in the negotiations process that, after so many climate talks and empty pledges over the years, an agreement ‘in principle' to tackling climate change without much substance can still be hailed as an overall success.

"Energy and climate change secretary Chris Huhne has said that the Durban negotiations saw the major Co₂ emitters ‘commit to take the action demanded by the science'.

"Unfortunately, this is not the case.

"While the agreement to start further negotiations on a binding treaty is a positive step in the right direction, the level of ambition is still way too low if we are serious about limiting global warming to less than the tipping point of 2^oC.

"So as it stands, this deal will certainly prove insufficient to protect people and planet from dangerous climate change.

"It is of particular concern that the summit only agreed an administrative framework for the Green Climate Fund to help the global south adapt to, and mitigate against, climate change - and not any detail as to how the money would actually be raised."

Caroline continued:

"I have pressed the UK Government on the need for sufficient long-term funding for the Green Climate Fund, for example, through an international tax on transport fuels - something which Huhne said he was ‘particularly keen' on when I quizzed him in Parliament recently.

"The challenge now will be to ensure that the pending agreement which will now be negotiated is strong enough, and is implemented quickly enough in order to prevent catastrophic climate change.

"We must ensure that our Government plays its part in securing this agreement."

ENDS

Since her election to the constituency of Brighton Pavilion in 2010, the UK's only Green MP has made a significant impact through her work on a range of issues - from putting pressure on the Government to tackle fuel poverty and drop Trident, to campaigning for Parliamentary reform and fairer rail fares.

Caroline received the Political Studies Association award for ‘Influencing the Political Agenda 2011' from Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow at a packed ceremony in Westminster this week.

She said:

"I am honoured and delighted to collect this award from the Political Studies Association - and appreciate the judges' recognition that having even one Green in Parliament can make a positive difference."

The panel of judges at the Political Studies Association said:

‘Caroline Lucas has made unprecedented steps forward in raising the profile of the Green Party.

"The achievement of winning a seat in Parliament under the First-Past-The-Post electoral system should not be underestimated.

"When considering these factors alongside her role in influencing the AV debate, we felt she was a worthy winner of the 2011 award for Influencing the Political Agenda."

ENDS

The Political Studies Association is the leading organisation in the UK linking academics in political science and current affairs, theorists and practitioners, policy-makers, journalists, researchers and students in higher education.

Caroline, who is a top signatory of a Backbench Business resolution on protecting local BBC services from cuts, is calling on the BBC and the Government to do more to safeguard news outlets in the region.

She said: "I am deeply concerned about the impact of proposed cuts to local BBC services in Brighton and Hove, which could lead to job losses and result in far less TV and radio being generated locally.

"At particular risk is our local radio, which people really value as a way of keeping up with the latest developments in their area - especially in emergency situations.

"I hope the debate in Parliament today will make the BBC think again about the scale and timing of these cuts, and encourage the Government to do more to safeguard local news services."

ENDS

The announcement coincides with a number of pessimistic predictions which set the British economy on course for a double dip recession next year (1).

Responding to the Chancellor's budget announcement, Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion and leader of the Green party of England and Wales, said:

"Today's budget announcement exposes just how dangerously colour blind the Chancellor really is when it comes to the green economy and the low carbon industries which can help lift us out of recession.

"And the fact that the Chancellor is taking £250 million away from hard pressed families to fund a big cash boost for some of this country's most polluting industries - whilst also rushing through major cuts to the flourishing solar industry - simply beggars belief.

"Why agree on a much needed carbon tax to drag the UK's energy intensive industries into the 21^st century and pay for their contribution to the climate crisis, and then be scared into giving millions back because a few vested interests like Tata call your bluff?

"This backwards and expensive merry-go-round shows that the Government is completely clueless on how to manage the low carbon revolution - and risks relegating the UK to the backseat when it comes to climate change and renewables.

"Furthermore, the decision to scrap the 3p rise in fuel duty is scandalously short sighted and will set back our efforts to tackle the transport emissions and air pollution.

"Instead, the Government should reverse the increase in VAT brought in at the beginning of the year - a better way of helping those finding it hardest to cope, as well as helping the economy to recover."

‘Threat to our natural heritage'

"What is also clear from today's statement is that our valued countryside and environmental heritage is now seriously under threat from this Government's bias towards big business.

"The Chancellor's intention to scrap the so-called ‘red tape' which protects the UK's forests and fields from over-development, and reform the planning laws in favour of developers, is a call to arms for anyone who cares about conserving our natural heritage."

On inequality: ‘Nothing to see here'

"This budget package - which looks suspiciously like a panicked Plan B rather than a Plan A Plus - does nothing to address the deepening inequality which is harming hard working people up and down the country.

"Osborne refuses to address the vast gulf between the haves and the have-nots, and the persisting culture of entitlement in the financial sector that has allowed the earnings of top Barclays executives, for example, to increase by a stratospheric 4899.4% since 1980, whilst wages for the average worker have only seen a threefold increase (2).

"The fact that the Government has confirmed it will not support a financial transactions tax such as the Robin Hood tax, or offer anything new to tackle tax avoidance and evasion, tells us all we need to know about the commitment to social justice amongst the Cabinet's millionaire ministers.

"And ripping up social protection laws is not the way to value our workforce and generate new jobs - indeed, industrial relations experts have shown that there is no ‘clear-cut link' between employment protection and levels of unemployment."

‘Missed opportunity to switch to green quantitative easing'

"Construction and road-building corporations are lobbying for more Government spending rather than austerity cuts - but the Chancellor lacks the courage or political vision to channel this billion pound spend into the job rich, green industries of the future.

"If we invested heavily now in a major Green New Deal programme to create new state-owned renewable energy and an increase in energy efficiency measures to help bring down bills, we could create hundreds of thousands of jobs¹, as well as remain internationally competitive in the green technology race."

The ‘jobs deficit'

"Ultimately, the constant downgrading of the UK's growth forecasts is the clearest proof we need that the Coalition's cuts plan is completely failing even on its own terms - with the Chancellor merely tinkering around the edges on our most urgent problem: the jobs deficit.

"With unemployment at its highest rate since 1994, and more than one million 16-24 year olds out of work, the myth that the private sector would step in when the Government scaled back public spending to magic up jobs out of nowhere has been exposed as nonsense."

ENDS

Notes

1) The Office for Budget Responsibility has downgraded its growth predictions for the UK economy in 2011 to around 1 per cent - while the British Chambers of Commerce has slashed its growth forecast in 2012 to just 0.8 per cent from 2.1 per cent previously, and the Bank of England expecting only 1% growth in 2011 and 2012.

2) High Pay Commission report: http://highpaycommission.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/HPC_final_report_WEB.pdf

Caroline, who will be speaking alongside union leaders and student representatives at a rally at the Level in Brighton from 1pm, said:

"The Conservative-led Government's assault on public sector pensions is a serious concern for my constituents and for workers across the public sector.

"While recent moves by Ministers to improve the pensions package offered some hope, it's clear that we are still far from a genuinely fair deal.

"I regret the disruption caused by industrial action, but feel confident that union leaders have resorted to a full strike only as a last resort - because public sector employees up and down the country continue to feel that the Government is simply not listening.

"We must not forget that these are our nurses, teachers, civil servants - the people who provide the crucial services which we rely on every day.

"The Greens will not hesitate to lend our support and solidarity to them on November 30."

Cllr Bill Randall, Leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, also commented:

"The proposals are little more than a stealth tax on public sector workers, many of them on low incomes.

"The money will be used to pay off the nation's debts. It's a political choice which penalises people who did not cause the problem.

"Meanwhile the Government offers giveaways to the financial sector that did.

"From the £70bn lost in tax evasion, to selling off the only profitable sections of Northern Rock at an overall loss, the Government has its focus in all the wrong places.

"Greens stand by public sector workers fighting against this Government raid. Nobody wants to disrupt services, but the Government has left the unions little room.

"I'm glad to say that the unions have agreed to maintain ‘life and limb' services throughout the day."

ENDS

Babar Ahmad, a British citizen who has been held without charge or trial for over seven years and is fighting extradition to the US over terrorism allegations, has so far been denied a UK trial by the CPS on the grounds that there was not enough evidence.

But in a shocking turn of events, last night Babar's lawyer received a letter from the CPS, admitting - for the first time - that it was never given the full evidence, save for ‘a few documents'. This appears to mean that the bulk of the evidence was shipped straight to the US by the Police.

Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate on extradition today, Caroline demanded a full inquiry into the handling of the case.

She said:

"The fact that we have a British citizen entering his eighth year of being held, without charge and trial, in a maximum security prison right here on UK soil - at the behest of the US - represents a shocking failure of the British justice system.

"All of those working to secure a UK trial for Babar Ahmad and stop his extradition to the US had previously been led to believe that the CPS had seen all of the evidence needed to make a decision about whether a trial would be possible.

"It is my understanding that the CPS may have known that they didn't have all the evidence, yet they have let Babar Ahmad languish in prison with the threat of extradition, falsely believing that all the evidence against him had been considered. This is appalling."

Caroline continued: "The revelations raise very serious questions about why evidence that should have been given to the CPS was not, and why Babar wasn't told. Who directed and authorised this circumvention of the CPS apparently in deference to, and at the behest of, the US?

"Babar Ahmad, his family and the 140,000-plus people who signed the Government e-petition to grant Babar a trial in his own country now deserve answers."

ENDS

An e-petition calling on the Government to grant Babar Ahmad a UK trial attracted 140,000 signatures - well in excess of the 100,000 needed to qualify for a Commons Chamber debate - but the case is instead being included as part of a wider debate on extradition in Westminster Hall at 2.30pm.

Caroline Lucas MP has requested to speak during the session in order to highlight the campaign. She said:

"That the e-petition to grant Babar Ahmad a UK trial has gained such astounding support so quickly shows the level of public anger over the fact that a British citizen is entering his eighth year of being held, without charge and trial, in a maximum security prison right here on UK soil - at the behest of the US.

"As we approach the tenth anniversary of Guantanamo Bay, this appalling case is a further reminder that some of the worst effects of the ‘War On Terror' remain with us today.

"While I accept it is difficult for the Backbench Business Committee to devote Parliamentary time in the Commons Chamber to every petition that passes the 100,000 threshold, the fact that this campaign was not a high profile newspaper-led effort, but a purely grass roots one makes it a particularly strong contender.

"The family and the 140,000 plus people who signed the e-petition now deserve a full Commons debate on a voteable motion."

ENDS

Speaking in support of the online campaign, which aims to commemorate the victims of sexist violence and fight gender inequality, Caroline said:

"Far more needs to be done to tackle the high rates of gendered violence in our society.

"This should include putting pressure on the Government and the legal profession to recognise cases of sexual violence and abuse as hate crimes against women and girls.

"I wholeheartedly support the For Our Daughters campaign as a way to remember the lives of all those women and girls who have died as a result of domestic and sexual violence - and to push for urgent change, as well as greater public awareness, to protect future generations."

ENDS

Responding to the proposals outlined by the Prime Minister, Caroline said:

"While this long overdue strategy suggests that the Government may be starting to think seriously about the housing crisis, the proposals offer little respite to the estimated 840 people in Brighton and Hove who may lose their homes as a result of changes to the Shared Accommodation Rate of Housing Benefit.

"Nor to the many families in the city's private rented sector who are at the mercy of unscrupulous landlords and volatile rent prices.

"If the Government is serious about providing enough housing for the least well off and averting a homelessness epidemic, the Chancellor must reverse his decision last year to slash the budget for affordable housing by up to 70% and channel far more investment into new social housing."

ENDS