Last week we saw the Chancellor announce his Budget and I was so pleased at the news that we are to receive £50,000 in funding from the Ideas Fund for a feasibility study into the reopening of the Leek – Stoke line. This is fantastic news and I look forward to working with neighbouring MPs and local authorities as we now move onto the next stage of this very exciting project.
Many of you have written to me with your concerns about climate change and I am delighted that the United Kingdom is hosting the COP26 conference in Glasgow as it provides an opportunity to drive the world to this important issue. This country was the first to legislate for net zero by 2050 and whilst the UK is taking world-leading steps to combat global warming, it is an issue that requires global attention and international action. That is why it is great that the UK will bring together world leaders, climate experts, business leaders and citizens from across the globe to agree ambitious action to tackle climate change.
As the COP26 conference starts this week, I am pleased that I was able to re- introduce my Company Transparency (Carbon in Supply Chains) Bill in Parliament. The Bill, if it becomes law, would require companies to prepare an annual statement on carbon in their supply chains and is a simple measure that would provide transparency to the public about what companies are doing to tackle carbon in supply chains.
It very much mirrors a measure that I introduced as the Minister responsible for tackling modern slavery and organised crime in the Modern Slavery Bill—now the Modern Slavery Act 2015 to make sure that companies took the issue of human trafficking and modern slavery in supply chains seriously.
