Patrick Harvie
Scottish Green Party · Scotland
“That challenge is important because, when other politicians and the media choose to ignore the arguments of far-right populism or, worse still, excuse them under the guise of “legitimate concerns”, they gradually legitimise them.”
“That is how we build, to quote the motion, “a successful nation, where everyone can feel hope”. It is how we pay to protect public services, tackle poverty and more. However, how could we expect a political party that is run by millionaires and funded by billionaires to understand that or even to care?”
“These cause disruption and devastation, highlighting the vulnerability of our globally interconnected societies.” As Brian Hoskins, the chair of the Grantham research institute on climate change and the environment, has said, “the discourse around net zero is increasingly decoupled from that science and our changing weather.”
“Patrick Harvie: No, I will not be taking interventions. Those are the voices that we should be listening to, not Nigel Farage’s hand-picked politicians.”
“To be honest, I was tempted to ignore this debate altogether. I can think of a dozen better things I could do with a few hours than debate one of the most incoherent motions that I have seen in 23 years in this Parliament. Goodness knows what shape it was in when the chamber desk first got its hands on it and tried to sort it out.”
“On net zero, which yesterday’s debate showed most political parties understand to be a necessity and an opportunity, Reform members repeatedly said that they support the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change position even as they appealed for ever more fossil fuels while the mercury rises outside.”
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Every one of 544 lines we hold for Patrick Harvie, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 10 of 11.
“The control and expulsion of unwanted people; the seeking to exploit the resources of other countries through threat, occupation or the abuse of economic power; the attempts of the super-rich to buy their ticket out of collapse in gated communities, corporate city states or Elon Musk’s absurd fantasy of a future on Mars once they have destroyed the life-sustaining conditions on this world; and the fossil fuel industry’s doubling down on its own self-interest, despite knowing the consequences—all those things give the appearance of the alignment of powerful political and economic interests that have recognised that we already live in an age of consequences and crises that have been brought about by their actions.”
“I cannot help those who refuse to see fascism for what it is, even when it is in front of them. However, the point that Klein and Taylor make is beyond that. They contrast the fascism of the past—which offered the selfish hope of a purified future for the chosen—with the end-times fascism of today, which is led by those who appear to be prepping for the catastrophe that they have caused.”
“Are those really disparate crises, each with a specific source of chaos in a turbulent world, or are they aspects of a wider, more general crisis— one of humanity’s making, which threatens our whole world? That can seem like a daunting question even just to consider but, in my view, the recent writing of Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor has come close to an answer. They talk about the rise of what they describe as “end-times fascism”. Some, of course, will scoff and splutter whenever the word “fascism” is used, despite the evidence. Some even refuse to see what is in front of them—a US Administration that is using every possible means to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after losing an election, or, once returned to power, that is overseeing an ideological and literal purge of people who are legally protected from deportation.”
“At the end of 2023, more than 117 million people around the world were forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and more. By early 2024, that number had grown to more than 120 million. That is before we consider those forced to move by economics or by changes in climate and food production— changes that global refugee conventions are simply unprepared to cope with. Just as many countries enact ever more brutal and inhuman policies to control and exclude refugees, many are also becoming ever more authoritarian against their own citizens, with the so-called culture war agenda generating a wave of hatred and hostility against the most marginalised.”
“There is the Russian occupation and war in Ukraine, more than three years on from the full- scale invasion; there is Israel’s genocide in Gaza, with more than 50,000 dead—mostly civilians, at least half of them women and children—and endless examples of the Israeli Government and the Israel Defense Forces openly committing war crimes and celebrating it; and there is the violence in the wider world. Then, of course, there is the climate and nature emergency: despite knowing for decades about the profound danger that we have been causing, the world has continued to expand fossil fuel use, polluting at ever higher levels and devastating the natural world for profit, and we are now witnessing a reboot of denial and conspiracy theories to prevent the rational action that we know is needed. The scale of the refugee crisis continues to grow.”
“I often argue that hope is hard work these days. As we look at the international situation, there are so many aspects that need unpacking that it is hard to know where to begin. Whether we are talking about the economic chaos that is coming from Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again, will-he, won’t- he tariff chaos or the security implications of his realignment of US posture against democratic countries and with Putin’s regime, there is a need for Europe and the UK in particular to recognise that, in that context, the US can no longer be seen as a reliable ally.”
“However, I recognise that we cannot take forward all the action that we wish to take in all those different areas without properly and fully recognising the scope and extent of the influence of the international agenda on our community. Today, I hope that we can have a debate that reflects the significance of the international situation and of the change in international circumstances, and that we recognise the extent to which that affects our prospects as a country and the need for us to have a resilient and effective response to all those challenges. 15:56”
“We continue to seek deeper engagement with the United Kingdom Government about the content of any trade deal with the United States and to encourage better and more effective trading partnerships with the European Union, which lies at the heart of the Government’s international investment strategy. It is absolutely vital that Scotland recognises the significance of the international situation as it affects our domestic priorities. As First Minister, I am interested in raising standards of living in this country; building community; investing in our culture, services and businesses; and supporting the health of the planet that we share.”
“The Scottish Government’s priority has been to act to support Scottish business in dealing with those turbulent events by engaging with the business community on the circumstances that it faces; by pursuing with the UK Government the issues that matter to different sectors of the Scottish economy; and by continuing to promote Scotland as an attractive and secure place for international investment. Indeed, in recent weeks, the Deputy First Minister, the Minister for Business and I have all been involved in promoting investment in Scotland in the United Arab Emirates, China, Japan and the United States.”
“That is in addition to the £250,000 that we provided to that appeal last November. It comes at a time when humanitarian needs continue to increase across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria. Scotland will continue to take forward our trusted approach to partnership in the international community. In recent weeks, the global economy has been significantly disrupted by the steps taken by the United States to introduce tariffs. Volatility in the global markets has had the effect of undermining the patterns of international business activity to which we have become accustomed, and it poses risks to our ambitions to grow and strengthen the Scottish economy.”
“This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Scottish Government’s international development programme—a significant milestone in Scotland’s commitment to addressing poverty and inequality overseas. At a time when the United States, the United Kingdom and other donors have slashed their aid budgets, we in Scotland are committed to continuing our support to partner countries in the global south and, more widely, to responding to humanitarian emergencies. Today I am pleased to announce a contribution of £240,000, through our humanitarian emergency fund, to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s appeal for the middle east, along with £30,000 for the Scottish charities the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund and Mercy Corps for their responses in Lebanon and Syria.”
“I am grateful to the First Minister for addressing the climate issue in the context of the international situation. In the First Minister’s recent visit to the US—a country where a full-on ideological purge is under way against climate science, climate scientists and those who seek to bring about positive and rational climate action—did he take the time to meet any of the people in that area who are on the receiving end of the brutality of the Trump regime? The First Minister: I did not have the opportunity to do that in the format that Mr Harvie mentions, but I did engage with the Council on Foreign Relations, with which I had a helpful dialogue about many of the strategic issues that we face.”
“Patrick Harvie is right about that and in saying that targets mean something only if there is a plan to get to them. There will, indeed, be plans to get to those targets, and that is the next job of work.”
“I am not entirely surprised that, in the course of the questions on my statement, I have been told both that the bill is a rehash of what was in the consultation and that it represents the gutting of what was in the consultation. Patrick Harvie had a deep involvement in this area of Government and has a great knowledge of it. He had to acknowledge that Government can do only what is possible, and he, along with the rest of us, had to acknowledge that, for instance, decarbonising 1 million homes by 2030 was not possible. I will not make the mistake of bringing a bill to the Parliament that I know not to be feasible or possible. That would not be fair to the Parliament or the public. I have sought to come forward with a bill that has targets.”
“The new approach is clearly going to fail. This was one of the few areas of climate policy that the independent Climate Change Committee had praised, and it is being gutted. If there is one thing that we have learned about climate policy in recent years, it is that setting targets without decisive action to meet them is meaningless. The loss of the property purchase trigger will clearly result in a dramatically slower uptake of clean heating in Scotland. Given that the Government has chosen the slower path to heat decarbonisation, will the Acting Minister for Climate Action tell us which other sectors will work faster to cut emissions in order to make the new climate plan remotely plausible? Alasdair Allan: I very much respect Patrick Harvie.”
“Does the First Minister now understand why tenants across Scotland are so fearful about what he has done?”
“On Monday this week, the Scottish Government withdrew critical protection against rent rises. For the first time in years, landlords will now have the power to instantly set rents back to uncontrolled free-market levels. Tenants will not be able to stop that, and they will not be able to afford it. Let us be clear about the scale of the Scottish National Party’s rent hikes. Data from Generation Rent and Living Rent shows that, even when the recent protections were in place, some landlords still tried to break the rules. In Glasgow, one landlord tried to double the rent from £700 to £1,400 per month. However, until this week, thanks to the temporary rent protections that I was proud to introduce, people such as that could be stopped. That unbelievable increase was capped by the regulator, with the rent at £784 instead of £1,400.”
“We all know that politics is not always a nice business. It does not always bring out the best in us. People sometimes worry that the job will change us for the worse, and sometimes that happens. In my experience, Christina McKelvie defied that fear. She never gave in to cynicism, entitlement or cruelty. She remained a person who instinctively expressed compassion and kindness, so I hope that her life will be celebrated, of course, just as a lovely human being, but also as an example that politics and politicians can stay human and humane. [Applause.] 14:22”
“As has been said, Christina’s work in the Parliament and her first ministerial role covered equalities, and there could hardly have been a better fit. I express my gratitude particularly for her strong track record on LGBT+ rights, equality and human rights, as she often faced down some of the divisive and nasty forms of prejudice—both old and new. I lost count of the number of times that I heard her speak with passion about the need to treat asylum seekers in our society as human beings and about the pride that Scotland should take in offering safety and a welcome to those who need it. I will mention a final theme that has come up in the conversations that I have had over the past week. It is something that has been on my mind, but I have heard many others make the same observation.”
“I have heard people reflecting on her friendship, her warmth and the way in which her passionate belief in her values and, at times, her very real anger at injustice never took away from her sense of fun and her positivity. I have heard from so many members who recall Christina’s kind words when they were first elected. That is something that means a lot to new members. Coming here for the first time can be a daunting experience, and I know that many in the chamber today who arrived here in recent elections will value those memories of Christina’s friendship and warmth. In offering our condolences to those who knew and loved Christina, I hope that all of us in the Parliament can return some of that friendship and warmth.”
“I am grateful not only for having known Christina McKelvie but for the opportunity to offer the Scottish Greens’ deep condolences to Christina’s family and friends for their very personal loss. It is a loss that will also be felt very deeply by everyone who worked with Christina—most acutely by SNP colleagues. As we have already heard, Christina was held in great affection right across the political spectrum. I hope that the whole family and, of course, our colleague Keith Brown, know that they have been in our thoughts and will remain so. Over the past week, there have been some common themes in the conversations that I have had with colleagues from different political parties about Christina.”
“He will appreciate—indeed, he has indicated this—that there is not much that I can say two days before the statement on the heat in buildings bill, other than to pick up on one of the questions that he asked. There will be a bill and, as the Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy has indicated, that bill will have to meet twin objectives: dealing with the very real climate crisis that Patrick Harvie alludes to and ensuring that we do not put people in fuel poverty.”
“The minister seems to acknowledge that, fundamentally, the crisis is driven by volatile fossil fuel prices, yet his statement comes just two days before the Government is widely expected to dilute, downgrade, delay or ditch the only serious policy measure that it had among its proposals—to get Scotland off the gas grid and, instead, to use cheap, clean, renewable electricity for our heating. There seems to be no chance of reaching the £1.8 billion investment target that the Government previously committed to. With fuel poverty rising and climate targets being missed, most rational people would say, “Let’s speed up.” Why is the SNP slowing down? Alasdair Allan: Patrick Harvie is right to point to the volatility of fossil fuel prices. I myself have referred to that issue and pointed to it as one of the primary reasons for fuel poverty.”
“As Christina’s partner and our colleague Keith Brown said today, she “lit up every room she was in”. That was certainly true of this room—our Parliament. She brightened it in every sense. The only question that I would like to ask the First Minister today is how he thinks that we can all bring kindness and compassion into our work, as Christina did. [Applause.]”
“This Parliament has lost one of our very best today. I offer my deepest sympathies and those of my party to everyone who knew and loved Christina McKelvie. Today is a moment of pain and sadness, but Christina’s life and her extraordinary spirit deserve to be celebrated, as well. In her first speech, she said that she “would rather be a citizen of a nation that looks to persuade and co-operate than bully and cajole”.—[Official Report, 14 June 2007; c 718.] She might have been talking about Scotland as a nation, but I think that those words also captured the kind of person she was and the kind of politician she was. Lots of people in politics start out with those kinds of values and ideals. Christina was someone who held fast to them. Compassion and kindness were at her core.”
“I am therefore minded to accept a motion without notice, under rule 8.14.3, to extend the debate by up to 30 minutes. I invite Maggie Chapman to move such a motion. Motion moved, That, under Rule 8.14.3, the debate be extended by up to 30 minutes.—[Maggie Chapman] Motion agreed to. 18:25”
“The person who has to flee, and who has to act out of desperation and ask strangers for help—that is what it is to bear a burden. The UK Government must be put under pressure to change direction, but the Scottish Government can and must do more as well. I hope that the minister, in responding to the debate, will lay out an expansive and ambitious approach to implementing, to the maximum degree possible, everything that we possibly can do to end destitution in Scotland. Migration will always be part of the human story, and it should be seen as something that enriches us and makes us proud, instead of the shame that the issue brings us. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I am conscious of the number of colleagues who still wish to participate.”
“In the days of those dawn raids that I mentioned, local communities would gather outside an asylum seeker’s flat to protect them and keep them in when the Home Office officials came to take them out. More recently, we have seen the astonishing display of solidarity at Kenmure Street in Glasgow. The human instinct to help and to recognise another human being’s desperation is still strong— it is innate within us. It is so strong that it has not been demolished by those decades of anti-migrant propaganda. Most people understand that, although the right likes to portray hosting asylum seekers as a burden for the nation, that is not what bearing a burden is. To be asked for asylum, and to be in a position to be able to help—that is what it is to have privilege in this world.”
“Instead, we have an asylum system that is designed to turn away the maximum number possible, and to make the experience so humiliating, degrading and frightening that it acts as a deterrent. That is the asylum system that we have, and it has continued to work in that way under successive Governments. I contrast that, however, with the response that we so often see from members of the public. Even after decades of anti-migrant propaganda coming from so much of the political and media landscape in this country, we find groups of people, in every community, banding together and reaching out to one another to find ways of helping and supporting asylum seekers in their communities.”
“There is a false but prevalent idea in much of our politics that poverty is a shame but that we cannot really do anything to end it. This is worse—this is destitution that has been deliberately created as a tool of policy makers who want this country to be a hostile environment for asylum seekers. That has been the case for as long as I have been in this place. When I was first elected, the dawn raids that were being inflicted on asylum seekers in Glasgow were a national controversy. Even then, there were those who argued that we needed a robust asylum system. What we need is an asylum system that is designed to give asylum—to give refuge—to everyone who needs it.”
“I join other members in thanking Maggie Chapman not just for bringing the debate to the chamber but for opening it with the words of some of the people who are most directly affected—voices that are so often unheard in the debate. I also express my appreciation to Professor Jen Ang and to everyone who has contributed in any way, either to the report or in other attempts to address the issue of ending destitution in Scotland. I pause for just a moment, at my first use of the word “destitution”. We have all been talking about destitution in Scotland. It is 2025, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and we are debating whether to end destitution. That in itself should shock and shame us all. It is worse still because that destitution is not merely the result of reckless or complacent economic policies.”
“To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the regulatory approach to AI and any impact that differences between regulations in the United Kingdom and the European Union could have on Scotland’s economy. (S6O-04485)”
“I regret that we will not be able to unite on an amended motion if the Conservative amendment passes tonight. I hope that we are united on the value of fair trade, but we are clearly not united on the idea that it is compatible with the deregulated, race-to-the-bottom free market economy that we live in today. The Deputy Presiding Officer: I say to our guests in the gallery, who are most welcome here, that we do not really do applause in the gallery, because it is the elected members who are the participants in the proceedings. Of course, our guests are very welcome to listen to our proceedings. I call Willie Rennie to open on behalf of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. 15:38”
“The fair trade movement will be less able to achieve the things that it has achieved in recent decades in the context of the decimation of international aid and the idea that powerful countries such as the US are simply going to dictate terms to the rest of us. Some countries are standing up to that nonsense, while others, including the UK, appear to be preparing to capitulate to powerful countries such as the US. Fair trade should not be seen merely as a voluntary concession to producers in a minority of developing countries. If we accept that the global trading system is too often unfair and harmful, we should be seeking to achieve systemic changes that always protect the poorest and most vulnerable from exploitation by wealthy countries, big business and powerful Governments.”
“here is no attempt to structurally adjust those powerful countries even though we know that the way that they trade is fundamental to activities that undermine progress towards the international development goals or net zero, and now we live in the context of Trump’s trade wars, which are based on the absurd idea that wherever a trade imbalance exists, the country with a surplus is doing something abusive or unacceptable to the country with a trade deficit, which means that, essentially, selling things that other people want to buy is inherently unfair trade. At the same time, as the cabinet secretary mentioned, international aid is being slashed, not just by the US Government but by the UK and others. When those appalling cuts to UK aid were announced, far from opposing them, the Conservatives said that they were not deep enough.”
“Far too often in the history of trade policy around the world, it has been the wealthy and the powerful who have imposed trade liberalisation on the poor and developing countries, particularly in the global south, while happily using protectionism to look after their own industries at home. There has been a great deal of hypocrisy from powerful countries using free trade as an economic weapon to impose on others while protecting themselves from its harmful effects.”
“There is nothing in the Government motion or the Labour amendment that I disagree with, and I will certainly support them, but the Conservative amendment is unsupportable, and I would be disappointed if the Government and the Labour Party support it. The idea that free and fair trade are part of the same sentence entirely ignores the fact that these concepts are, at the very least, in tension with each other—I regard them as being in conflict with each other, but, at the very least, they are in tension with each other. The idea that trade liberalisation is central to fair trade must come from the head of someone who has never heard of the concept of structural adjustment.”
“Fair trade is seen as something positive but, basically, as an optional policy that is separate from trade policy. There is a great deal of scope to take a much more expansive view of fair trade by adopting a wider ethical approach. For example, some businesses deal with the issues that arise from trading in conflict zones and areas of occupation. A number of fair trade businesses go out of their way to give space, profile and priority to, for example, Palestinian products and positively avoid stocking products that are produced by those who benefit from the illegal occupation of Palestine. That wider understanding of fair trade needs to go further.”
“I welcome the positive work that the Scottish Government has done on fair trade, such as it is. However, when I did a little bit of preparation for the debate the other day, I assumed that I would find information on fair trade on the trade pages of the Scottish Government website, but such information is absent from those pages. I looked at “A Trading Nation”, which sets out the Scottish Government’s approach to trade policy, but mention of fair trade is entirely absent from that document. I do not single out the Scottish Government in that regard; the UK Government and a great many other Governments around the world also want to be seen to be doing the right thing when it comes to supporting voluntarism in relation to fair trade but do not join the dots by embedding fair trade principles in trade policy itself. There is a disjoint.”
“That is why, in our briefing papers, we see very positive statistics that show the high level of recognition of fair trade in Scotland, the number of people in Scotland who regularly buy fair trade products and the number of community organisations and local authorities that take account of fair trade as part of their procurement. However, it is really important that we do not relegate or consign fair trade to the category of voluntary good works, because the fair trade movement is intended to achieve much more than that. It is intended as a provocation and, as Colin Smyth said, to challenge the unfairness of conventional trade. The fair trade movement is there to ask for, demand and achieve change in the way in which the whole global trading system works, and that change is absolutely needed.”
“However, there are also newer businesses, including coffee roasters and chocolatiers around the country, that might not necessarily have the Fairtrade logo on their products—or they might not have it yet—but which are making significant efforts. They are going above and beyond the bare minimum of what their businesses require in order to find ways to trade fairly and to ensure, and communicate, benefits to the producers around the world with which they have links. As other members have said, the work of a wide range of such businesses and of a great many campaigners, voluntary organisations and others has been going on for a great deal of time.”
“I am very happy to have the chance to speak in this debate. We have already heard a few examples—my guess is that we will hear a fair few more—of local fair trade organisations in every corner of the country. The fair trade movement is in every community across the country. I echo Colin Smyth’s comments in welcoming the fact that the current generation and the next generation of representatives of the fair trade movement are with us in the Parliament and watching at home. In my region, Glasgow, one of the most familiar names to people who seek out fair trade products and to businesses that want to put fair trade products on their shelves is Greencity Wholefoods, which is a long-standing wholesaler that has done a huge amount to improve recognition and accessibility of fair trade products.”
“Claire Baker: It is important that the corporate body operates within the legal framework. Through the Scottish procurement policy, we ensure that all our contractors comply with all legal requirements. They also adhere to the United Kingdom Government’s embargoes and sanctions list, which was updated in October last year. Nevertheless, I hear Patrick Harvie’s concerns. He might be interested to learn that our catering contract is due for renewal and that it will be put out to tender soon.”
“Patrick Harvie: I am grateful for that answer, and I take on trust the assurance that there are no specific products produced in the occupied territories. However, there are products produced by companies that are complicit in activity in the occupied territories. All of us would rightly be horrified if there were products on sale that were profiting companies that were benefiting from the illegal Russian occupation of Ukraine. It seems to me that exactly the same principle should apply in relation to companies that are complicit in the Israeli occupation of Palestine. I urge the corporate body to consider more deeply the question and whether we can have a stronger position, agreed with catering partners, to ensure that such companies are not profiting from the custom of either staff members or visitors to the Parliament.”
“To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will consider removing from its catering outlets any products made by companies identified by the United Nations human rights office as being involved in activities related to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. (S6O-04478) Claire Baker (Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body): The catering services at the Scottish Parliament are provided through our service partner Sodexo Limited. Sodexo has been monitoring any supply requirements, and it has no original sources or suppliers within occupied Palestinian territory. I understand that Sodexo continues to review its supply chain, working with supply chain partners to understand risks and challenges related to issues such as international conflict, political instability and logistics.”
“To ask the Scottish Government how the criminal justice system applies its public health approach to reducing the harm caused by drug use. (S6O- 04455)”
“After months of uncertainty, the Government has finally confirmed that it is dropping the plan to help people to switch to clean and affordable heating. Just as bills are about to rise again, the First Minister wants to keep people locked into expensive and polluting fossil fuels for even longer. Scotland has already lost out on manufacturing jobs in building heat pumps. It is an industry that wants to grow, to take on more people and to invest for the future. People need help to make the change, and the industry needs clarity to make it happen. Both are urgently needed if we are to catch up with the missed climate targets, cut people’s bills and create green jobs. As the SNP slows down on climate action, why does the First Minister think that any clean heat business would bother investing in Scotland now?”
“I hope that the cabinet secretary will explain the delay in her closing speech, because further delay to the bill is unacceptable, risks the legislation failing to pass during the current parliamentary session and leaves the entire industry at a complete loss as to whether it is worth investing in the skills, capacity and supply chain that we need to bring down future costs. The bill must be introduced now and, in her closing speech, I hope that the cabinet secretary will explain where it is and what has happened to it. The Deputy Presiding Officer: Thank you, Mr Harvie. I call Willie Rennie to open on behalf of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. You have a generous six minutes, Mr Rennie. 15:08”
“However, people need the financial support—either through loans, green mortgages or other schemes, such as grants—in order to shift towards making such an investment, which would lead to financial savings from energy bills. Last week, the First Minister told the Parliament: “The Government is considering all the issues that were raised in the consultation on heat in buildings. We will respond as soon as we can.”—[Official Report, 6 March 2024; c 16.] The trouble is that that is precisely where things stood a year ago. The bill was on track to be introduced in November, but now it is missing without explanation.”
“We could have moved straight away to a £2 bus fare cap—we managed to persuade the Government to go to a pilot, but we could have skipped that stage. The most glaring area of absence of action is energy efficiency. The cabinet secretary mentioned it in her speech and motion, but the heat in buildings bill is the critical policy tool that is needed to drive investment in the clean heat sector and give regulatory clarity and financial support to those who need it. Even now, running a heat pump can be just as cost effective as running a gas boiler, and with a modern, much more efficient heat pump and flexible tariff, doing so can cost as little as half the price of running a gas boiler.”