Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural Political Purpose Awards for her ‘unwavering commitment to environmental causes’.
Lucas was recognised for a roster of work including the Climate and Ecology Bill and the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (Amendment) Bill, extending the rights of public access to the countryside.
The former leader of the Green Party who is set to stand down at the next election after a 13-year parliamentary career also chartered last year’s Decarbonisation and Economic Strategy Bill.
Caroline Lucas MP, recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award said: “It is an incredible honour to be the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Political Purpose Awards. During my time in Parliament, the environment has shifted from the margins to the mainstream. Public interest in and care for our natural world, especially amongst young people, has never been higher.
"But we still face an ecological crisis of epic proportions, and it’s up to our politicians to tackle it with the urgency required. I sincerely hope that no political party is let off the hook when it comes to their environmental policies going into the next general election – because we all depend on it.”
Green Peer Baroness Jenny Jones of Moulsecoomb, was the winner in the Pollution, Waste & Air category for introducing the Clean Air (Human Rights) Law, often known as ‘Ella’s Law’.
The award was presented by Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah CBE, the inspiring campaigner whose daughter Ella Roberta was the inspiration for the law which aims to enshrine clean air as a human right.
Other winners include London Mayor Sadiq Khan was given the award for Habitats, Biodiversity & Green Spaces for his work to improve biodiversity in the UK’s capital.
Political Purpose Awards
Taking place on Wednesday night (20 September), the event was hosted in the House of Lords by Nature 2030, an environmental campaign group founded and run by purpose-led communications agency Higginson Strategy.
The inaugural Political Purpose Awards recognised the efforts of UK politicians from the House of Commons, House of Lords, devolved assemblies, and mayors representing both metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas who supported and championed environmental causes over the last year.
The winners were selected by a panel of campaigners, NGOs and journalists who are deeply involved in environmental causes and therefore exposed to the best environmental work by elected representatives.
Judges this year included Will McCallum, Joint Executive Director of Greenpeace UK; founder of Surfers Against Sewage and current Executive Director at Oceana, Hugo Tagholm, and Born Free Foundation advocate and Chair of Nature 2030, Dominic Dyer.
