Nickie Aiken, MP for the Two Cities this morning took part in an interview with Nick Ferrari on LBC to express her concerns over the current Extinction Rebellion protest in central London.
The current Extinction Rebellion protests in central London mean a loss of crucial neighbourhood police resources and preventing our emergency services from getting to the people who need them most.
Nickie expressed that so many letters, phone calls and emails from local people and businesses telling me the disruption they have faced over the last few days, and their concerns for what the next two weeks will look like.
Speaking this morning, Nickie said,
Morning, Nick. It's the disruption to local people and to businesses is immeasurable. I was told last night by Westminster City Council that last time XR were here for two weeks, they cleared a 120 tons of rubbish left behind, and that added £50,000 to their costs.
And this is local people's Council tax. And I want to point out first and foremost, Nick, that obviously Westminster and the City of London are considered very wealthy areas. But I want to remind people listening that actually it's not all about wealth.
There are major areas of deprivation in this, in this, in central London, 25 percent of homes are social rented. And, you know, the wealthy who do live here have gone for the summer. So it's those who live here permanently who can't escape, who are living with this so-called beautiful chaos.
And I can't tell you the number of calls and emails and letters I've had over the last couple of days from really worried local people who are putting up with this. It's just gone too far.
Nick asked,
Do you have any support for XR?
Nickie responded,
I think we all understand, I think nobody denies, we are in a climate emergency. And I also don't think we can deny that this government is probably the most progressive green government we've ever had.
Nick interjected,
They'd argue you're not. They'd say, because I had because I had one of them.
Sorry to interrupt you, Nickie, but they would say, we want you to come to the table because you're not doing enough about halting fossil fuel production.
Nickie replied,
This government has made tackling climate change a priority. And it may not be as quick as XR wish, but life is never as simple as we want it to be.
You know, we've got to bring the people with us and ensure that the the great British public do their bit. We've all got to do our bit. But if we act like we are doing, what XR are doing now,
I think it's putting people off the cause and it's going to have the reverse. Which concerns me because we have got to work together. But Nick, also, you know, your reporter has just said there's 20 police officers hanging around Piccadilly Circus at the moment, the police resources going in to policing this protest the next fortnight is shocking. And at the same time, our neighborhoods are, you know, not seeing their local police officers, because they are in central London.
Nick questioned,
And just lastly on this, many would say that the disruption and a lot of those costs and the disruption is because the police don't take a firmer hand. With fewer blokes and women,
if you actually were more proactive, you could probably control the city better. Would you agree?
Nickie said,
Well, I've spoken to the senior police officers last night who are managing this, and they are being much more robust than than previously, which I absolutely welcome.
But the problem is XR, as your reporter just said, doesn't communicate with the police, so they are having to second guess. I also think just finally, if they're going to the City of London next, I think it's really important to point out the City of London, it's it's leading the world on green finance.
It is trying to ensure that we get green technology into this country and across the world. It is financing it. So it's quite ironic that they are going to be targeting the city of London, which is trying to do as much as it can to tackle climate change.
Watch the full interview above, or on YouTube
