Successful Campaigns

WE WON! 30/05/18 British citizen Andy Tsege has received a pardon from the Ethiopian Government after almost four years on death row in Ethiopia. Andy has now been released from prison and is now with his family in Ethiopia. After four unbelievably hard years for on death row this is wonderful news for Andy, his partner and their children. The new Ethiopian government should be recognised for what they have done today. “I am so thankful that the pain and anguish my children have had to go through could now soon be coming to an end. Helawit, Yilak and Menabe have spent too long without their father and we are all hoping Andy will be free to come home to us soon.” Yemi Hailemariam, Andy’s partner https://reprieve.org.uk/update/andy-tsege-is-pardoned-by-ethiopia/

24/11/14: We've won! Together, 38 Degrees members and Spinwatch have persuaded NHS England to publish details of their big spending. Take a look here: http://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/pub-scheme/spend/#payments And emailtheteam@38degrees.org.uk if you see anything unusual we could dig into.

Over the last few months we have been ramping up the pressure on government to make sure they send plastic-free period products to schools. Over 37,000 of you lovely people signed our petition and hundreds of teachers signed our open letter. On the back of this pressure the Department for Education responded to our concerns, saying that the successful bidder “will be required to offer environmentally-friendly sanitary pads as a minimum, and are encouraged to provide further environmentally-friendly options (such as menstrual cups or eco-friendly tampons)”. A HUGE WIN - THANK YOU FOR USING YOUR VOICE EVERYONE! But we wanted to know for sure what “environmentally friendly” meant so we asked Alistair Carmichael MP to submit a Written Question. The minister responsible clarified saying that they would look for products being “biodegradable” and clarified that they want some reusable products sent to schools. We are waiting now for government to announce who has won the tender and what products they will provide, but we will make sure they live up to the promises they’ve made. Watch this space and thanks again! Best wishes, Jasmine and the City to Sea team

The museum is saved! After more than 45,000 people signed petitions to protect the science museums in the north of England, Culture minister Ed Vaizey announced that the museums would not be given the proposed 10% budget cut and that there was "no question of them closing." The MP for York Central said: "All the campaigning and all the warnings sent to the government that it would be an act of cultural vandalism if one of these museums were to close appears to have been heeded." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22948171

TransPennine Express have reopened the gate! https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/hull-paragon-reopen-anlaby-road-3193164

The Jeremy Kyle Show has been axed by ITV after a huge public backlash around the show exploiting people for entertainment. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48279613

01/10/18 - We won! Housing Minister James Brokenshire has just announced a ban on dangerous combustible building materials, like the cladding that was used on Grenfell tower. The government has chosen to put people before profit and you were a part of making that happen, so thank you. So many lives were turned upside down after the Grenfell tragedy. Since then, we’ve been campaigning hard as ‘Grenfell United’ for justice and change, to make sure no families have to go through what we did. Your signature on our petition helped us pile the pressure on the government before the announcement when it really mattered. Here’s what Ahmed Elgwahry, who lost his mother and sister in the fire, had to say: “It is heartbreakingly too late for our families but we’re one step closer to making sure other families across the country can go to bed at night safe in their homes.”

Pensions dashboard The government committed to getting the pensions dashboard off the ground. It means we’ll be able to keep track of all our pensions in one place, stopping us losing out on thousands of pounds. When news came out that the government was considering scrapping the dashboard, over 200,000 of us jumped into action. We signed open letters, emailed our MPs and our research, which proved how much people could lose without a pensions dashboard, was plastered all over the press. The government saw our messages in their inboxes and in the media - and yesterday they acted.

17/4/18: We did it! The voices of cross party MPs and the respectful but resolute demands of the Commonwealth Heads of State, together with personal stories in the press, finally all had an impact. The government apology and promised action were resoundingly good if tarred with shameful tardiness. But implementation is all and we should ensure that an independent body takes on the role of monitoring progress, highlighting problems and ensuring a voice for the people directly affected. Only then, will justice be done. Click here for more information: https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2018/04/18/save-the-windrush-generation-petition-hand-in/