I am so pleased to hear that Towcester Evening WI has been shortlisted for an award at The Climate Coalition’s Green Heart Hero Awards tonight for the creation of a giant heart on Bury Mount in Towcester made from hand painted green heart stones.

I was also very grateful to Karen Tonks for making the lovely handmade brooch for me to wear on the 14th February to help promote the Climate Coalition’s Show the Love campaign, and I wore it with pride. The Towcester Evening WI does a fantastic job of raising awareness of the impact of climate change on our communities at home and abroad, and the importance of taking action now.

As the former Environment Secretary, and former Energy Minister, I have always been clear that the Government is completely committed to dealing with climate change, and I am proud of our continued progress in this area. Renewable electricity capacity in the UK has trebled since 2010. The UK now has enough solar to power almost 2 million homes, is the most attractive market in the world for investment in offshore wind, and we have also brought forward investment in Hinkley Point C – the UK's first new nuclear power station in a generation. We have also taken the historic decision to close our coal-fired power stations by 2025.

Since 1990, the UK has cut emissions by more than 40 per cent while growing the economy by more than two thirds, the best performance on a per person basis than any other G7 nation. Our Energy Act puts Britain firmly on track to meet the 2050 target to reduce emissions of all greenhouse gases by 80 per cent and underpins the remarkable investment that the UK has seen in its low carbon economy since 2010.

I look forward to seeing Karen and Sue Hamilton to congratulate them again.