City of Norwich school grilled Norwich election candidates on the NHS, climate change, trust, and education policies during a hustings event held at a city centre school. The Green Party’s Catherine Rowett; James Wright, Liberal Democrats; Clive Lewis, Labour; Sandy Gilchrist, Brexit Party; and Mike Spencer, Conservatives fielded questions from around 250 sixth formers for 90 minutes at the event hosted by the campaign Vote For Your Future, which aims to get young peoples’ voices heard.
Students asked Norwich South candidates how they would advance the climate agenda locally and UK-wide.
The Green Party’s Dr Catherine Rowett, highlighted their carbon neutral by 2030 pledge and added: “We’ve taught the other parties what they have to say”. While Lib Dem candidate James Wright said the party has a policy of retrofitting homes with insulation. Labour’s Clive Lewis said David Cameron’s 2015 Conservative government claimed it would be the greenest government ever and added: “They’ve “comprehensively failed”. Brexit Party candidate, Sandy Gilchrist, said he would prioritise recycling and added: “Politics has got to change if we’re going to deal with these issues locally.” And the Conservative candidate Mike Spencer says: “We were the first major country to declare a 2050 zero carbon ambition.”