Andrew asked Deputy PM Angela Rayner, who was standing in at Prime Minister’s Questions for Sir Keir Starmer, a question on waste incinerators yesterday (Wednesday 20th November):
“The Scottish and Welsh Governments have banned the construction of new waste incinerators because of health and pollution concerns. The previous Government paused them and committed to banning them. Why are this Government busy approving them?”
He received the answer:
“As the right hon. Gentleman knows, we always follow the strict rules on planning, ensuring that safety and other factors are always taken into consideration, and we will continue to do so.”
Andrew, who has campaigned against the planned Westbury burner and others across England, said afterwards:
"Ms Rayner's junior minister recently signed off on the Portland Port incinerator in South Dorset so I'm very surprised she didn't seem to know that ministers take the final decision on whether big, controversial infrastructure like waste burners are built.
"Clearly this government doesn't share the environmental and public health concerns of its predecessor. Had there been a Conservative government elected in July neither the Portland or Westbury burners would be happening."