Climate Party Craig Jamieson: 'Why I should be next Clacton MP'

Craig Jamieson hopes to bring the Climate Party's aims and motivations to Clacton in the General Election.

The party's general aim is to make Britain lead the world on climate change and achieve economic prosperity by adopting a scientifically justifiable target of net zero by 2030.

Candidate - Craig Jamieson in the garden (Image: Craig Jamieson)

Mr Jamieson said: "I see this as a great opportunity for Clacton and it's coming in the form of a clean industrial revolution that is coming to the world and it’s coming to the UK.

“The question is whether we are going to be there ahead of the curb or whether will be lagging.

"There is an opportunity as 92 per cent of the world’s economy is already committed to net zero targets, meaning that they will transition in the coming decades to clean technologies.

“The UK will either dither or flip-flop back and forwards on policies and frighten off businesses who want to invest in this, or we take decisive action and seize the opportunity to lead internationally.

“As the Climate Party, we obviously want the latter. We want the UK, we want Clacton to prosper and we want a clean environment and more prosperity for people, and we want to bring in policies which will enhance and accelerate this and help us to lead in this clean industrial revolution.

“We have a solution. Some are ramping up taxes, others are just ignoring the opportunity, so how do we seize this opportunity that is coming?

“It’s an opportunity, let’s be clear, for us not just at home but internationally, to lead and export and know how technologies prosper in the future.

“Our solution is one simple policy, not interfering with every part of people’s daily lives, just one simple policy, with zero additional taxes and the greatest benefits will be for the least well-off.

“We are unlocking an economic opportunity for Clacton and the UK and policies that we are putting forward have widespread support across industries.

“The simple policy is what I’m calling 'e-car, admissions charge and rebate'.Candidate - Craig Jamieson, for the Climate Party (Image: Craig Jamieson)bate. It’s not massive subsidies or adding taxes onto people it’s a tax-free emissions charge rebate.

“The most polluting industries and sources of pollution – which are concentrated in a few places - will pay a charge for the extraction of the product that causes the pollution.

“This will be priced initially at around £30 per ton of CO2 and that will then send a clear market signal right across industries and the population that this causes pollution and that doesn’t, and therefore there is a price to benefit from those which don’t.

He continued: "We’re not leading the subsidies - it’s about making the polluters pay for the damage they are causing to the environment and the health of the population.

"In a sense, it is a mirror image of the problem with pollution.

"At the moment whoever pollutes gets the benefit and then the rest of society picks up the cost in terms of a degrading environment and health problems.

"So this is the opposite as it benefits the population as a whole but makes the polluter pay.

"Some people who are struggling do not want to be thinking what the carbon footprint of their minced beef is."

Mr Jamieson went on: "The other part of this is having made the polluter pay, that money comes back to every person in the UK population as a whole as a dividend or a rebate once a year.

"This will typically be on average £150 paid around September time and everyone in the population will get that money back.

"The people who pollute the most will pay the most, and the people who pollute the least, and that tends to be the less well-off, will benefit because they will pay the least in these tariffs.

"It’s a minimally intrusive policy. It’s not a tax, just a charge on pollution which is spread out equally across the nation as a whole."

Mr Jamieson claimed the policies will help Britain get a lead in the clean industrial revolution.

He said: "This also helps to pave the way for Britain to lead in these clean-tech companies.

"We have many already but this will attract more to the UK because it will create a favourable environment for them to thrive and prosper in.

"That pollution charge will go up at a set rate each year on an ascending scale so that businesses can plan ahead - it’s not a sudden wallop over the head."

Clacton has windfarms both on shore and at sea.

Mr Jamieson said: "Interestingly, when we are talking about renewable energy Clacton has one of the best solar resources in the UK - it’s a seaside town.

"People can put solar panels on their roofs and install heat batteries and all sorts of technologies.

"There are so many different ways to save money with this clean industrial revolution.

"More companies will be popping up to help people save money on their energy bills.

"You can see the off-shore wind farms in Clacton and these sorts of things will bring in more affordable electricity that is not subject to conflict."

The Climate party candidate grew up in Hertfordshire and says he has a connection to out-of-city towns and rural areas.

He has a Master's degree in sustainable rural development and is the founder and director of an award-winning British clean-tech company which has operations in England and Asia.

He said: "I studied at an agriculture university and an agriculture college and focused on sustainable rural development so I’ve got a big heart for rural issues and for more out-of-the-city places in the UK.

"Only seven per cent of people in the UK don’t think climate change is a global threat so most people are on board with this, but more than that there is a huge opportunity for the people of Clacton and I really want to see Clacton thrive."