Yesterday (24th April) Labour announced they had written an open letter to Conservative MPs encouraging them to sign Labour's Water quality (sewage discharge) bill.

Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, environmental campaigner Feargal Sharkey, and Labour Parliamentary Candidates have written an open letter to Conservative MPs, ramping up the pressure on them to vote for Labour's Opposition Day motion, which they say will end the 'Tory sewage scandal'. 

The letter is critical of Conservatives who they say during the passage of the Environment Bill "walked through the voting lobbies to continue the Tory sewage scandal" by blocking Labour-backed amendments to end sewage dumping. The letter accuses Tory MPs of showing disregard for the "environment, for public health, and for businesses that rely on the beauty and nature of Britain to attract visitors and thrive."

The open letter comes as Labour prepares to force a binding vote in the House Commons to introduce its Water Quality (Sewage Discharge) Bill.

Labour will use an Opposition Day motion to provide for parliamentary time on Tuesday 2nd May 2023 to allow for the passage of the Water Quality (Sewage Discharge) Bill, introduced by Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary Jim McMahon.

The Bill seeks to legally underpin four crucial reduction measures:

• Setting a legal requirement for the monitoring of all sewage outlets and penalties for failures in adhering to monitoring requirements;
• Imposing automatic fines for sewage dumping;
• Implementing a legally binding target to reduce sewage dumping events;
• And a requirement for the Secretary of State to publish a strategy for the reduction of sewage discharges and regular economic impact assessments.

Labour say this intervention comes in the absence of a credible government plan to end sewage dumping, with the letter warning that "Tory MPs voting down the Opposition Day Motion or failing to support the current version of the Bill will be voting to for a second time to continue the Tory sewage scandal."

Earlier this month Labour analysis of Environment Agency data revealed that since 2016, a new sewage dumping event has taken place an average of every two-and-a-half minutes, with rivers, lakes, seas, and beaches having faced a staggering 1,276 years' worth of raw sewage over just a seven-year period.

Jim McMahon OBE MP, Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary said:

"It's clear that we have a Tory government that has run out of road, only regurgitating old announcements that do nothing to end sewage dumping. That's why Labour has brought forward legislation to clean up our water system.  

 "The onus is on Tory MPs to support Labour's Bill which will put an end to sewage dumping once and for all or alternatively, once again vote to continue the Tory sewage scandal.

 "The next Labour Government will build a better Britain and end the Tory sewage scandal, delivering mandatory monitoring on all sewage outlets, introducing automatic fines for discharges, setting ambitious targets for stopping systematic sewage dumping, and ensuring that water bosses are held to account for negligence."

 Jayne Kirkham, Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Truro and Falmouth said:

 "I very much hope that Cornwall's Conservative MPs see sense and vote for Labour's Bill to enforce the clean-up of our rivers and seas. Our beaches and rivers in Cornwall are so vital for our health, ecosystems, and economy. Labour's clean-up campaign and greener mission can't come soon enough."

You can read the full letter below:

Dear Conservative MPs,

We are writing to you regarding the Tory sewage scandal which has polluted waters and open spaces across the country, with filthy raw sewage. Labour Party analysis shows that over the last seven years, 1,276 years' worth of raw sewage has been dumped into British waters.

On average, this equates to a new Tory-sanctioned sewage dumping event taking place every two-and-a-half minutes. And in 2022 alone, there were an average of 824 sewage dumps per day in places where people live, work and holiday. 13 years of Tory government has taken our country backwards, allowing it to be treated as an open sewer.

Not one English river is classed as being in a healthy condition, none meet good chemical standards and few meet good ecological standards. To make matters worse, not only have the Conservatives given the green light for water companies to dump sewage and neglect our vital water infrastructure, but they have also rewarded them for it, by allowing water companies to extract billions in dividends and with bumper bonuses for water bosses who are not delivering in the public interest.

During the passage of the Environment Act, Conservative MPs had the opportunity to support a Labour-backed amendment that would have brought an end to sewage dumping. However, instead of putting the country first, Tory MPs walked through the voting lobbies to block these changes and continue the Tory sewage scandal.

This is despite the consequences for our environment, for public health, and for businesses that rely on the beauty and nature of Britain to attract visitors and thrive. No-one should have to worry about whether they are able to enjoy our areas of outstanding beauty or if they are encountering raw sewage by taking a dip in our waters. No business should have to worry about Tory sanctioned sewage dumping impacting their trade.

The disgraceful images that we see of sewage pipes dumping raw sewage could have been avoided had Tory MPs not dismissed Labour's warnings about the consequences that every corner of our country faces daily. Which is why, in the national interest and in the absence of any credible plan from the Tory Government, Labour is leading the way on cleaning up the Tories' mess by publishing the Water Quality (Sewage Discharge) Bill.

The Bill, as Labour's plan to end the Tory sewage scandal by 2030, seeks to deliver four crucial outcomes: • Setting a legal requirement for the monitoring of all sewage outlets and penalties for failures in adhering to monitoring requirements. • Imposing automatic penalties for sewage dumping. • Implementing a legally binding target to end the Tory sewage scandal. • A requirement for the Secretary of State to publish a strategy for the reduction of sewage discharges and regular economic impact assessments.

Given the Tory refusal to grant government time to a Bill to end sewage dumping, on Tuesday, Labour will bring forward an Opposition Day Motion that would allow us to take control of Parliamentary time on Tuesday 2nd May to pass the Bill and enact a legal requirement to end the Tory sewage scandal.

The motion and the Bill provide a clear plan to end the systematic sewage dumping into our natural environment, ensuring that the costs cannot simply be passed on to households, who are already suffering the consequences of the Tory cost of living crisis. Therefore, will you: • Vote for Labour's Opposition Day Motion to ensure that the Bill gets Parliamentary time? • Commit to supporting the unamended version of the Bill to become law? Labour has a workable plan that delivers in the national interest. If the Government and Tory MPs fail to vote for the Opposition Day Motion or fail to support the current version of the Bill, you will be voting for a second time to continue the Tory sewage scandal.