2 November 2021
Around 60 people from Insulate Britain are disrupting traffic in London, Birmingham and Manchester this morning as our campaign of nonviolent civil resistance continues into an eighth week. The affected roads include the M25 J23 in London, the M56 J6 in Manchester, and the A4400 in Birmingham. The London and Manchester roads are both part of the strategic road network and covered by the super injunction granted to National Highways last week.
This is the seventeenth time that Insulate Britain has caused disruption on motorways and A roads as part of our campaign of nonviolent civil resistance over the past seven weeks. So far, 161 people have taken part in the campaign and there have been 770 arrests.
Gabby, 27, a graphic designer from Norwich said:
“We are taking our message to people outside of London because we want everyone to know that our government is killing our children. Britain should be leading the world with radical plans to decarbonise our society, instead our government is actively setting policies that will drive emissions higher. The public can close their eyes but this isn’t going away, no one is coming to save you. We are being betrayed. This government is colluding in genocide.”
A group of nine Insulate Britain’s supporters have received summons for injunction breaking and are due to attend court on the 16th November, a further 23 are expected to follow. They face the prospect of unlimited fines and prison sentences for contempt of court.
Biff, 54, a retail worker from Canterbury:
“I am honoured and privileged to stand in solidarity with my brave friends who have been the first to receive their committal dates; facing unlimited fines and prison sentences for conducting proportionate nonviolent civil resistance to stop our government destroying this country with their cowardice and greed.
“ I too have broken the High Court Injunctions several times and I will continue to do so until this treasonous government, supported by heartless and scared journalists, starts to take credible action to safeguard its citizens’ lives.”
We note that Kwasi Kwarteng has written about Insulate Britain in the Telegraph.
Insulating Britain’s leaky homes is an essential part of acting on the climate emergency. In fact the UK Climate Change Committee has said that there is no route to Net Zero that does not involve the near complete elimination of carbon emissions from our housing stock which is some of the most energy inefficient in Europe. [1]
Insulate Britain has a well thought out plan for a government funded nationwide retrofit programme. Kwasi Kwarteng is rejecting a plan that would cut 15% from our carbon emissions, avoid 8,500 fuel poverty deaths a year, and stop millions of British families being cold and hungry every year, while dealing with the cost of living crisis.
Mr Kwarteng, is it “ludicrous” to demand an end to deaths from fuel poverty in the sixth richest country in the world? Is giving government grants for home insulation an “excessive state intervention”? Is protecting our children from future misery, starvation and death an “eye watering intrusion”? If so, we are guilty as charged.
Mr Kwarteng, you have a responsibility to serve the interests of all the people of this country, not just the few who are profiting from your careless disregard for the fate of our children and future generations. We will not forgive your betrayal and cowardice.
ENDS
Press contact: 07737 457105
Email: insulatebritainpress@protonmail.com
High quality photos and video footage available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Kucq-NfhnZLGJWwLx1HX03cWR7M9Y2-m
Website: https://www.insulatebritain.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/insulatebritain
Twitter: https://twitter.com/insulatelove
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8N5mAeeCLbD-AFUqtPaF0g
Notes to Editors
[1] https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/uk-housing-fit-for-the-future/
About Insulate Britain
Insulate Britain is a new campaign group that is calling on the UK government to put in place policy and funding for a national home insulation programme starting with all social housing.
We demand the Prime Minister and the government to #getonwiththejob, face up to their responsibility and lead our country through the climate crisis.
We are ordinary British citizens with simple and achievable demands to #INSULATEBRITAIN
The UK government must immediately promise to fully fund and take responsibility for the insulation of all social housing in Britain.
We demand a national home insulation strategy that gives British people the justice they deserve: a future for our loved ones, lower energy bills and safer living conditions.
We are scared: our livelihoods are at risk and the futures of our children are uncertain
The Climate Crisis is a threat to all: we demand the government to act now.
Our Demands
1. That the UK government immediately promises to fully fund and take responsibility for the insulation of all social housing in Britain by 2025;
2. That the UK government immediately promises to produce within four months a legally binding national plan to fully fund and take responsibility for the full low-energy and low-carbon whole-house retrofit , with no externalised costs, of all homes in Britain by 2030 as part of a just transition to full decarbonisation of all parts of society and the economy.
Further information about Insulate Britain and our demands here: https://www.insulatebritain.com/
Technical Report on home energy efficiency here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jt5FI-kinEXoqZtPDrCvnAVQ2EFn8Aea/view
Insulate Britain ‘Blue Lights’ policy: our policy is, and has always been to move out of the way for emergency vehicles with ‘blue lights’ on.