Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Marsha De Cordova and Ed Miliband

Tuesday 14th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Ed Miliband]

Dear, oh dear. I will be honest: I think it is sad what has happened to the right hon. Lady. When she was in government for a time, she was the great eco-champion. At COP26, she was telling people, “Follow Claire’s lead—be a great eco-champion.” Now, she has suddenly discovered that she is the anti-net zero warrior. All it does is show how desperate the Conservatives are, and the more desperate they become, the more irrelevant they become.

[Marsha De Cordova (Battersea) (Lab)]

T2. Air pollution increases the risk of developing conditions including asthma and lung cancer, and has been linked to thousands of deaths. In London, hard work by our mayor Sadiq Khan has seen the level of nitrogen dioxide fall to within legal limits for the first time since regulations were introduced. In my constituency, we want to know that the Government are committed to working hard to end that link between air pollution and deaths, so can the Secretary of State set out what steps he is taking to deliver that?

[Ed Miliband]

My hon. Friend makes a really important point, and not only about what the mayor has done and the effects it has had on the health of Londoners. There is a wider point here, which is too often overlooked, about what the shift to renewables and away from fossil fuels can do to help save lives and tackle air pollution.