Shahrar Ali, lead author of the Greens' 2008 GLA manifesto said: "Five years on, we still do not have public consent for the use of this dangerous policing tactic adopted by the police in 2003. Greens have called for the discontinuation of these rules of engagement on the streets of London, resort to which unjustifiably raises the risk of shooting dead an innocent person, as happened to de Menezes."

Jenny Jones, Green Assembly Member and Member of the Metropolitan Police Authority renewed her call to the Association of Chief Police Officers to urgently review Kratos, saying: "The fact is that we have a policy on the streets of Britain which we don't understand, and which we cannot possibly know won't go wrong again."

Notes to editor

1. Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead by armed officers at Stockwell underground station on 22 July 2005 following a Kratos shoot-to-kill remote command. In a further incident, Nzube Udezue was held at gunpoint and left terrorised by armed officers at Bournemouth station on 8 July 2008. See Guardian report http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/09/ukcrime.ukguns

2. The IPCC produced two critical overviews in 2007, Stockwell One and Stockwell Two (http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/index/resources), and the jury in the 2008 coroner's inquest concluded that de Menezes death was in part caused by six failings of the police. Yet in 2010, Commander Cressida Dick, in charge of the operation on the day, received a Birthday Honours.

3. The London Federation of Green Parties adopted the following position for its 2008 GLA manifesto: "In 2003, the Metropolitan Police adopted rules of engagement, known as Kratos, that would enable an officer to shoot-to-kill solely on the basis of a remote command. Greens call upon the Met to discontinue the shoot-to-kill option under Kratos. Lethal force may remain an option outside Kratos, but only under the legal protections afforded by the European Convention of Human Rights." See Change London for Good: 2008 London manifesto http://london.greenparty.org.uk/manifesto08

4. Dr Shahrar Ali, also an applied philosopher, examined the case against Kratos in the chapter, "Is there a justifiable shoot to kill policy?", in Interrogating Terror (eds. Brecher et al), published this year (abstract http://philpapers.org/rec/ALIITA). His work was informed by meetings with the MPA including his participation in their "Together against Terror" conference in 2005.

5. Today the CPS report into the death of Ian Tomlinson, knocked to the ground by an officer during the G20 protests on 1 April 2009, has stated that no police face charges of any form over his death. The United Campaign against Police Violence organised a presence outside the CPS today to coincide with the anniversary of the de Menezes shooting: http://againstpoliceviolence.blogspot.com/

The London Mayor and Transport for London have issued press releases announcing "record" levels of investment in cycling this year and in the previous two financial years. In 2008/09 ten million was added to the cycling budget by the current Mayor, but actual expenditure was the same as that allocated by the previous Mayor. In 2009/10 the budget was £111m, but actual expenditure was just over half of that at £57m.

Year 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11

Total budget £55m £111m (includes carry over) £116m+ boroughs (includes carry over)

Actual spent £44.8m £57m unknown

Carried over £10m £54m unknown

Darren Johnson said:

"London's cycling revolution has been stalled for the last two years as the Mayor failed to finish the London Cycle Network, which would have created hundreds of linked up cycle routes throughout London. The Mayor has talked about record levels of expenditure on cycling, but his main achievement up to now has been to cancel the one big project that was on the verge of delivering a huge advance for cycle safety, especially in outer London. Expenditure on cycling has gone up, but with the exception of some good work by local authorities, little extra has been achieved so far."

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. TfL PR 16 June 2008: "A record £55m to be invested in cycling in London this year."

TfL PR 28th May 2009: "The Mayor and TfL are investing a record £111m in cycling in London this year. The money is being spent on introducing the London Cycle Hire scheme, improving parking and road conditions for cyclists, education, training and promotion."

TfL PR 24th May 2010: "The Mayor and TfL are investing a record £116m in cycling this year. That money is being spent on the London Cycle Hire scheme, Cycle Superhighways, infrastructure, promotion and education."

2. The LCN+ was due to be finished by beginning of 2010. Analysis of the money provided to the boroughs in 2008/09 for the LCN+ showed that a total of 383 schemes had not been funded due to a budget cut, 260 of them in outer London boroughs, based upon question to the London Mayor No: 2698 / 2008.

3. The previous Mayor had allocated a combined budget for walking and cycling of £62m in 2008/09 and £63m in 2009/10 (GLA press release 11th Feb 2008).

4. Cycle expenditure

Year 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11

Cycle hire 1 17 67

Superhighways 0 5 32

Other spending 19 19 17

Total TfL spending £20m 41 Budget £116m

Local councils spending £24m £16m unknown

Total spending £44m £57m Budget £116m+

Darren Johnson said:

"I am pleased that the Mayor confirmed he supports the principle that no public sector worker will earn more than 20 times the lowest paid person in their organisation. It won't eradicate pay inequality, but it's a step in the right direction. Now we need to see how he will implement this." 

The question followed this motion passed by the London Assembly on the 16th June by 13 votes to 11.

"This Assembly notes the Prime Minister's pledge to limit the highest public sector pay settlement to no more than twenty times that of the lowest worker, and the Equality Trust's proposal to aim for pay inequality to be reduced to no more than ten times. The Assembly also notes that within the GLA Group there are approximately 90 staff paid more than ten times the London Living Wage.

This Assembly calls on the GLA Chief Executive, the Mayor, the Police Authority, the Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, the Board of Transport for London and the Board of the London Development Agency to commit themselves to reducing the difference in pay between the lowest and highest paid staff to no more than 20 times, with a long term goal of no more than 10 times."

Notes to Editors

On the latest information (17th March 2010) there is one individual within the GLA group earning more than twenty times the London Living Wage and approximately 90 staff paid more than ten times.

Staff in the GLA group, including subcontracted workers such as cleaners, cannot be paid less than the London Living Wage. It is not known exactly what the lowest wage received is. The London Living Wage for 2009/10 is £7.60 an hour, which works out at an annual Full Time Equivalent salary of £13,577.

The report, which was produced by Emilie Turunen MEP for the Employment and Social Affairs Committee and voted on last week, also calls for strengthening of traineeships, internships and apprenticeships.

Jean, who is a member of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, said: "Such strong support for the initiatives proposed in Emilie's report is enormously encouraging. It shows that youth unemployment is where it should be, at the top of the political agenda.

"With 5.5 million young people under 25 unemployed across the EU, youth unemployment is one of the most pressing problems facing Europe today. Indeed, only this week, figures released showed that the number of graduates chasing every job has surged to nearly 70, while the number of vacancies available is predicted to fall by 7 per cent.

"This chronic issue has far-reaching social and economic consequences, from the increase in welfare costs to the erosion of the tax system, with young victims of the recession more at risk of long-term social exclusion and health problems. It is high time to act and through the series of progressive and affirmative initiatives set out in this report I believe we can begin to turn Generation Lost into Generation Hope."

Emilie added: "The youth unemployment situation is so critical we risk losing a generation to social exclusion while gambling with the economic and social future of the EU. Through this vote, a large majority in the parliament have called for some very concrete initiatives. Now it's up to the Commission to put it into practice. 5.5 million young people and counting are waiting for action."

Notes to Editors

The report calls for:

* A European Youth Guarantee securing the right of every young person in the EU to be offered a job, an apprenticeship, additional training or combined work and training after a maximum period of 4 months' unemployment;
* A European Quality Charter on Internships that sets out minimum standards for internships
* An expansion of the European Social Fund and an earmarking of a minimum of 10 % of this fund for projects targeting young people
* A permanent EU youth taskforce to monitor developments on youth employment, enable cross-section policies, share best practice examples and initiate new policies;
* A non-discriminatory policy towards young people;

Jean Lambert is one of eight MEPs representing London and one of two UK Green representatives in the European Parliament. Jean was first elected Green Party Member of the European Parliament for London in the 1999 European elections and was re-elected in 2004 and 2009.

Emilie Turunen has represented the Danish Socialist People's Party (Socialistisk Folkeparti, SF) in the European Parliament since June 2009. In 2008, Emilie became the national chair of the youth wing of the SF and in the same year was also made a member of the National Executive and Executive Committee of the SF. She graduated with a bachelor degree in social sciences and working life studies from Roskilde University in 2009

Green Party Assembly Member, Darren Johnson, commented:

"The first round of unnecessary and unfair cuts threatens 1,452 affordable homes for Londoners. The government has picked the Mayor's pockets before he can deliver his promised 50,000 affordable homes.

"The Comprehensive Spending Review in October will almost certainly hit affordable housing even harder. If the Mayor believes cuts to housing are 'insane', it's time he argued for fairer taxation instead of swingeing cuts that could send our rents, mortgage costs and the housing benefit bill spiralling further upwards."

Notes to editors

Full details of the cuts and the schemes threatened can be found on the HCA web site: http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/public/documents/HCA_briefing_note_6_July_2010.pdf

This answer was received by Green Party London Assembly Member, Darren Johnson, in response to a question tabled at the Mayor's Question Time in May (2) requesting an update on the Mayor's pledge to compile annual street tree data as recommended by the London Assembly Environment Committee 'Chainsaw Massacre' - London's Street Trees' 2007 report.

Darren Johnson said:

"It is unacceptable that some London councils are hiding their tree removal figures for fear of being named and shamed and that the Mayor is accommodating this.

"I will continue to press the Mayor to deliver on his promise to publish annual data showing the number of tree planted and removed by councils. Producing only Londonwide trends as the Mayor suggest to protect the sensitivities of some London boroughs is pathetic."

The Mayor has pledged to plant 10,000 new trees during his term of office in 40 priority areas in 'tree free' locations. The Mayor has pledged in his Climate Adaptation Strategy to 'work with partners to increase tree cover across London by five per cent (from 20 to 25%) by 2025.(3)

Editors' Notes

(1) London Assembly Environment Committee (2007), Chainsaw massacre - London's Street Trees, http://legacy.london.gov.uk/assembly/reports/environment/chainsaw-massacre.pdf

(2) Darren submitted the following question at the May 2010 Mayor's Question Time.
Mayor answers to London
Street trees (2)
Question No: 1381/2010
Meeting date: 19/05/2010
Question by Darren Johnson
'What progress have you made in compiling an annual borough breakdown of tree losses and gains, mentioned in your answer to question 2678/2009?'

Answer by Boris Johnson
'To inform the delivery of my Street Trees initiative I asked one of the partners, Trees for Cities, to obtain figures on tree planting and removals. However, I have discovered that some boroughs are reluctant to provide detailed figures on removals because of the fear of the naming and shaming which occurred after the publication of the Chainsaw Massacre report.

'However, I recognise that it is important to obtain this information so that I can be sure that we are achieving an overall increase in the street tree canopy across London. Consequently, the revised guidance to this year's Street Tree fund asks boroughs to supply a detailed breakdown of their street tree data. To overcome borough sensitivities about use of the data, it will be used only to illustrate London-wide trends. We will continue to explore with our partners how we can collate and publish the most useful data possible.

I am able to assure you that my Street Tree initiative funds the planting of street trees over and above those which the boroughs are committed to planting through their own programmes.'

(3) The Mayor of London's Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for London, Public Consultation Draft - February 2010

Speaking ahead of the Pride London parade [2], Jean Lambert MEP commented: "I am proud to support this important celebration of equality, diversity and freedom for all. It is a great opportunity to showcase the achievements of the LGBT community, while also paying homage to a city which allows you to be whoever it is you want to be, regardless of your sexuality.

"Of course, events such as Pride London would not be possible if it wasn't for the courageous, ambitious and revolutionary work of the Gay Liberation Front and other such organisations. And this year we celebrate 40 years since the founding of this ground-breaking organisation and the freedom it has afforded the LGBT community.

"However, we must not be complacent about fighting for equal rights for all. In many countries across Europe people still face discrimination and abuse as a result of their sexual orientation.

"What we need now is for political leaders at EU and national level to take a firm stance against homophobia and discrimination against LGBT individuals to help create a positive shift in public attitudes and behaviour."

Notes to Editors

[1] The Gay Liberation Front was born in New York in 1969 following the infamous Stonewall Riots which saw clashes between the police and gay community. It was brought to London in 1970 by Bob Mellors and Aubrey Walters, with founding members including Peter Tatchell. Although it wasn't the first gay organization in Britain, it is widely regarded as the beginning of the modern movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender freedom and human rights

[2] The Pride London parade begins at 1pm at the junction of Wigmore Street with Portman Square. For more information visit: http://www.pridelondon.org/

Jean Lambert is one of eight MEPs representing London and one of two UK Green representatives in the European Parliament. Jean was first elected Green Party Member of the European Parliament for London in the 1999 European elections and was re-elected in 2004 and 2009.

Green Party London Assembly Member, Jenny Jones, said:

"The past two decades of decline in the social housing stock, which caused the rise in the housing benefit bill, will compound the impact of the housing benefit cap on families living in parts of central and inner London. Under the Government plans, which also include probable cuts to the housing budgets, families will be forced to move to east and outer London and face even longer waiting lists to access affordable social rented homes. 

"The Government has just made the Mayor's aspirations for affordable rented homes in more socially mixed communities impossible. They are blaming the housing benefit bill on imaginary greedy layabouts instead of building the social rented homes that Londoners so desperately need.

"The result will be poorer families emptying out of central London. "

Notes to editors

The caps on the amount a household can claim in housing benefit will be set at between £280 and £400 per week, or up to £20,800 a year.

In Central London, the Local Housing Allowance gives families in four bed homes up to £1,000 per week to pay their rent. So families in Westminster and parts of boroughs like Camden could be worse off by up to £600 per week, or £31,200 per year. Other values can be found online: https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/Secure/Default.aspx

According to the Greater London Authority's rent map, the median weekly rent for a four bed home in Westminster is £1,100 and in Camden it is £825. Both are in the Central London sub-region. More rents can be found online: http://www.london.gov.uk/rents. 

The Mayor of London's Strategic Housing Market Assessment found that the increase in housing benefit claimants renting privately between 2002 and 2007 (67,000 households) almost exactly matches the shortfall in the provision of social rented homes (66,700 homes).

Jenny Jones' report on the housing crisis published in January showed that waiting lists grew by 80% in the last decade whilst the social rented housing stock shrank due to Right to Buy sales outstripping new builds: http://legacy.london.gov.uk/assembly/members/jonesj/docs/cominghometoroost.pdf

Darren Johnson said:
"In the United States Procter & Gamble (P&G) continue to conduct animal testing for cosmetics and household products, even though these have been phased out across the EU. Such unethical practices make it completely inappropriate as a London 2012 sponsor and I am calling on the Mayor to oppose P&G as an Olympic sponsor, unless they agree to end animal testing."

Notes to editor:

(1) Darren Johnson has tabled a formal question to the Mayor of London at the next Mayor's Question Time in July 2010, below:

Given Proctor & Gamble's continued use of animal testing for cosmetics and household products in the United States, in spite of such practices being banned in the UK and across the EU, can P&G really be considered a suitable sponsor for London 2012 and will you make clear your opposition to any such move?

According to an RSPCA information paper - The testing of cosmetics using animals, ‘The use of animals to test cosmetics or their ingredients is now banned in the European Union. By 2013, it will also be illegal to sell in the EU any cosmetics tested on animals elsewhere in the world.' http://www.rspca.org.uk/ImageLocator/LocateAsset?asset=document&assetId=1232711398791&mode=prd

The aim of Refugee Week is to challenge misconceptions about refugees through awareness-raising events, while showcasing the many ways in which the UK has benefited from their diverse skills. One of the biggest myths is that the UK operates an "open door" policy on asylum and the country is being "flooded" by immigrants. To the contrary, the UK only received 25,670 asylum applications in 2008 [1], a figure that has fallen by almost half over the last five years, and we are ranked just 17th in a league table of industrialised countries for the number of claims per head of population [2].

Jean, who is a leading voice on asylum and immigration, says: "With so many negative myths surrounding the issue of asylum and immigration it is easy to lose the real story. Refugee Week offers a unique opportunity to dispel these misconceptions and focus on the truth behind the misinformed hype.

"Refugees are not here to scrounge off our welfare system, they are people forced out of their homes because their life and often the lives of their families have been put in danger because of war, conflict or political persecution. Increasingly, we are also seeing the most vulnerable communities losing their livelihoods and homes because of the impact of climate change, with rising sea levels, local water supplies threatened and land and crops lost to dramatic changes in weather.

"Asylum seekers are looking for a place of safety, not, as some people would have you believe, a place that would be economically beneficial. Indeed, many refugees live in hope that one day they can return to their homeland but whilst a variety of reasons often means that this is impossible their contribution to life in the UK is invaluable. From the NHS, to the construction industry, from the world of business to the service sector, refugees are an integral part of the very fabric of our society and Refugee Week is a celebration of this.

"But, of course, behind the celebration we mustn't forget that refugees have not chosen to live here, they have had that choice made for them. To address this situation we need political action to reduce conflict, protect human rights and protect our planet."

Notes to editors:

[1] Home Office quarterly statistical summary, asylum statistics 2008
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=261

[2] UNHCR Asylum levels and trends in industrialised countries 2007 and 2008

http://www.unhcr.org/47daae862.html

For further information on Refugee Week visit: http://www.refugeeweek.org.uk

Jean Lambert is the European Parliament's Rapporteur on the revision of the Qualifications Directive and was recently responsible for securing the European Parliament's support for the creation of a European Asylum Support Office.

She is one of eight MEPs representing London and one of two UK Green representatives in the European Parliament. Jean was first elected Green Party Member of the European Parliament for London in the 1999 European elections and was re-elected in 2004 and 2009.

Her previous report, 'Coming home to roost', showed that home ownership has become significantly less affordable for the majority of Londoners in the past decade, and that the policies being pursued by the Mayor and the Government will do little to change this.

Under the previous Mayor, the cost of buying a home rose twice as fast as incomes, whilst less than half of the new housing demand was met. Jenny Jones says:

"The Mayor is trying to provide a pool of affordable homes, but once sold his publicly subsidised barely-affordable homes rise in value much faster than incomes, so they are resold as unaffordable homes. It is like filling a bath with the plug out - the subsidy is going down the drain. Co-operatives could create a pool of homes that offer low cost home ownership for generations to come.

"The Mayor promised to promote co-operative models in his manifesto but has dropped the ball. I hope this report will convince him that a radical switch in subsidy is necessary to help people priced out by another decade of above-inflation price rises.

ENDS

The first report, Coming home to roost, is available from Jenny Jones' section of the Greater London Authority web site:http://www.london.gov.uk/profile/jenny-jones/reports

In line with the European Directive on Air Quality (2008) [1], the Commission has issued this final warning because certain zones of the UK, namely the Greater London Urban Area and Gibraltar, have continued to exceed the limit value for dangerous airborne particles known as PM10.

The UK was first issued with a warning in January 2009 and has since submitted an exemption request for London, which was rejected, and have applied for two time extensions to comply with air quality laws. However, given that zones still exceed the PM10 values the Commission stuck with their decision to send the final warning. If the UK fails to take necessary measures to comply with legislation, the Commission could refer the case to the European Court of Justice.

Jean Lambert, the Green Party MEP for London, said:

"I welcome the Commission's decision to send a final warning to the UK and call on the coalition Government to take real and affirmative action to address London's pitiful air quality. For too long this problem has been swept under the carpet, but to continue to do that would be to continue to fail citizens across the country and especially in London, where air quality at several sites is falling far below agreed standards.

"The tiny airborne particles (PM10) covered in the legislation, which are primarily emitted by industry, vehicles and domestic heating, can cause and irritate conditions such as asthma, cardiovascular disease, lung cancer and lead to premature death. In London alone it is estimated that over 4,300 people die prematurely each year as a result of poor air quality, with thousands more admitted to hospital.

"The time of merely consulting on delaying tactics is over, the time to act is now. The Government should be taking every possible step to eliminate this danger to human health. This means urgent action by the Mayor of London who needs to rapidly revisit and revise his air quality strategy and stop putting Londoners health at risk."

British Greens showed their solidarity and support for their Columbian counterparts at a Green Party Fiesta in Camden's Stables Market at the weekend.

London Federation of Green Parties Coordinator, Noel Lynch, who attended the Fiesta said:

"We enjoyed getting to know the capital's Columbian Greens and are looking forward to meeting more of them in the future. There are currently around 400 in London and they all have the right nto vote in this election. With campaigning officially over now, and the Greens ahead in the polls, we could be about to witness the first Green head of state in the world and the first Green government.

"This would be a tremendous boost to Greens, not only in the UK - where we have just elected our first MP - but across the world."

The Green Columbian presidential candidate, Antanas Mockus, is a philosophy professor and mathematician of Lithuanian parentage who was twice mayor of Bogota (1995-97, 2001-03). Since taking leadership of the Green Party just over two months ago, Mockus has steadily climbed in the polls. Even a recent announcement that he is suffering from Parkinson's Disease failed to halt the rise. Key election pledges include: allocating money towards peace (instead of war), investing 15 per cent of income from Colombia's petroleum company, Ecopetrol, in education, cleaning up political corruption and reducing poverty and crime.

Jenny Jones said:

"The Mayor clearly doesn't ‘respect the right to demonstrate' as he says, or else he wouldn't be seeking the legal power to evict legitimate protesters from Parliament Square. His commitment to democracy is laughable - he has launched this action on the day that the words "allowing members of the public to protest peacefully without fear of being criminalised" is in the Queen's Speech.

"The protest is relatively few people, but they represent many voices. We clearly have a Mayor who puts the tidiness of Parliament Square ahead of ensuring these voices are heard in our democracy".

The community is occupying land owned by the Greater London Authority and has been growing since 1 May when it first took residence. It includes anti-war protesters, climate change activists, communists and anarchists, and some homeless people.

Notes to editors

[1] For more information on the Democracy Village see: http://meltdown.uk.net/election/Democracy_Village.html

Green Party member of the Greater London Assembly, Jenny Jones, is concerned about the consequences of removing the extension, particularly for air pollution. According to the Mayor's figures, removing the extension will mean an increase in congestion of 11 to 18% in the area.

Jenny Jones said:

"The congestion charge, including the western extension zone, has been successful in reducing traffic, reducing emissions and encouraging people to switch to public transport and cycling. It also improves the quality of life for residents living within the zone.

"It is difficult to see why Boris is meddling with a policy that has been proven to reduce traffic at a time when London is struggling to meet European limits on air pollution and faces major fines. This is a big backwards step on air pollution."

"The commitment to rewarding less polluting vehicles is welcome, and was agreed under the previous Mayor. The other part of the drive to improve the vehicles using central London was the £25 charge on gas guzzlers, which the current Mayor has scrapped. It has taken Boris two and a half years to catch up with half of a good idea."

"Increasing the charge to £10 raises relatively little money and does not compensate for the loss of £55-£70m in funding from the western extension."

"I am delighted that Sir Paul Stephenson has publicly stated that police officer bonuses should be scrapped. In times of budget cuts it seems a sensible move, and I hope the Mayor supports him on this.

"In the light of news this week that spending on police has grown by 50% over the last ten years, we need to find savings where we can. As overtime payments have increased by 90%, despite a growing workforce, I am urging the Mayor and the Met to look at changing working practices to reduce the excessive reliance on overtime for both staff
and officers.

"Looking at the bonus system is just the start of what needs to be a comprehensive review of police spending".

Notes to editors

Overtime figure taken from Centre for Crime and Justice Studies report http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/prpolicespendingbriefing.html

The Take Back Parliament [1] demonstration in Parliament Square, sent a clear message to the Liberal Democrat/Conservative coalition government that plans for a referendum on Alternative Vote do not go far enough, and only a system of real PR will satisfy the need to empower voters.

 Jean, who was one of the key speakers at the event, said: "Once again, this election demonstrated the fundamental flaws of the disproportionate first-past-the-post system. It was an election fought at the marginal seats, where the majority of voters were disempowered, and as a result we got a government that did not reflect how the electorate voted.

"This must not happen again. The next General Election must be under a fair voting system. People must be free to vote positively - for what they really want. That would be real political change.

"Yes a referendum on electoral reform is a step in the right direction but we need to go further, we need a system in which every vote has equal power and equal value and we can only achieve that through true proportional representation."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

[1] Take Back Parliament brings together a coalition of different groups and organisations in the call for fair votes. They include POWER2010, Unlock Democracy. Electoral Reform Society and Vote for a Change.

Take Back Parliament is not aligned to any political party - instead it seeks a fair voting system so that all parties have representation in Parliament according to the number of votes they receive.

For more information visit: http://www.takebackparliament.com/

Jean Lambert is one of eight MEPs representing London and one of two UK Green representatives in the European Parliament. Jean was first elected Green Party Member of the European Parliament for London in the 1999 European elections and was re-elected in 2009.

The cross-party group resolution, which was signed by Jean as a representative of the Verts/ALE Group, as well as representatives from the PPE Group, the S&D Group, the ALDE Group and the ECR Group, urged for all parties to exercise restrain and seek peaceful means to resolve differences between religious and ethnic groups in Nigeria. The resolution was adopted by a show of hands during a vote at the European Parliament in Brussels last Thursday.

Jos lies at the crossroads between Nigeria's Muslim north and Christian south and, according to human rights reports, more that 14,000 people have been killed in clashes since the end of military rule in 1999. Recent violence in March left 109 people, thought to be mostly Christian, dead. The bloodshed followed sectarian killings in January that left more than 300 dead, most of them thought to be Muslim.

Jean Lambert said:

"I welcome news that this cross-party resolution has been adopted by the European Parliament. Atrocities such as these cannot go unnoticed by the European community at large.

"We are also concerned that there have been a number of reports of extrajudicial killings by the military and the police. We call on the Nigerian Federal Government to carry out an investigation into the cause of the most recent violence, to ensure the perpetrators of acts of violence are brought to justice and to take concrete and urgent measures to support inter-ethnic and inter-faith dialogue.

"In addition, while this terrible sectarian violence is rooted in decades of resentment between the two vying communities, we must also recognise the role of climate change, which has dried up pasture lands forcing aggressive competition over the use of arable land between the traditionally Christian farmers and Muslim herders. Once again, this is a clear sign that we cannot ignore the devastating impact of climate change and must act now for the sake of our future."

Note to Editors

1] To read the resolution in full visit:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=P7-RC-2010-0247&language=EN

2] Jean Lambert is one of eight MEPs representing London and one of two UK Green representatives in the European Parliament. Jean was first elected Green Party Member of the European Parliament for London in the 1999 European elections and was re-elected in 2004 and 2009.

The Green Party has reinforced its commitment to tackling rising unemployment in the capital with the announcement that it would invest £6bn to create over 150,000 jobs in areas such as workforce training, renewable energy, public transport, social housing and waste management.

The package is just one of several bold initiatives laid out in the Greens' new Action Plan for London [1] - launched yesterday - to address the triple economic, environmental and social crises.

Green Party parliamentary candidate for Lewisham Deptford and chair of the London Assembly, Darren Johnson, said:

"We are the only party offering fully costed policies that will get Londoners back to work, reduce the poverty gap and create a more sustainable economy. There's vital work to be done. We urgently need to bring London's housing up to green standards and this will in turn create jobs for builders, plumbers, electricians and engineers. As a Green MP I will press for a free insulation scheme for every home that would save a typical household around £150 per year on fuel bills."

The Greens are calling for an increase in the national minimum wage to ensure people have enough money to provide for themselves and their families. Green councillors in Lewisham have already been successful in securing a Living Wage of at least £7.60 for council contractors.

Johnson adds:

"A more equal society really is a happier, more productive society. Unsurprisingly, research shows that people who are paid a reasonable wage are more motivated and thus work harder and are less likely to leave their jobs. Greens want to banish poverty pay for good."

Notes to editors

[1] The Green Party's Action Plan for London can be downloaded here.