Successful Campaigns

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.”

Strongbow, Carling and Tennent's have all pledged to ditch plastic beer and cider rings by 2021! https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/08/14/carling-beer-ditch-plastic-packaging-become-sustainable/

Just a few days after we handed in our huge petition to Westminster Council, the planning application to move the statue was withdrawn! Sir Niel Thorne, the former MP behind the bid to move the staue of Emmiline Pankhurst from its historic home said: “we realised considerable pressure was being put on Westminster City Council, who’d find it more difficult to approve moving the statue.” Thanks to our pressure, Emmeline Pankhurst will remain by Paliament - thank you! https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/09/16/emmeline-pankhurst-statue-will-remain-near-parliament-plan-move/

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.

After thousands of us signed the petition, emailed, tweeted and called Jeremy Hunt and chipped in for hard hitting ad vans, the government announced it was scrapping the dangerous data sharing deal between the NHS and the Home Office! https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/09/government-to-stop-forcing-nhs-to-share-patients-data-with-home-office?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

On the 3rd December 2020 the Environment Secretary announced plans to ban live exports following Britain’s departure from the EU. This ban is dependent upon the result of an eight-week consultation, beginning today, which seeks views on ending the export of live animals for slaughter and fattening where the journeys begin or transit through England or Wales. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-55167473 Due to this awful trade, animals must endure excessively long journeys, and frequently experience pain, exhaustion, stress and overcrowding. Having campaigned to put an end to this suffering for over 50 years, we are delighted to hear that the Government plans to ban live exports at long last. Echoing our sentiments exactly, George Eustice, Defra Secretary of State, called the trade a “cruel and unnecessary practice”, in a press release on the announcement.

26/07/18 We won!!! Home Secretary Sajid Javid said "cannabis-derived medicinal products" will be available "by the autumn" through the NHS system Announcing the changes, Javid said: “Recent cases involving sick children made it clear to me that our position on cannabis-related medicinal products was not satisfactory.” Thanks to the hundreds of thousands of 38 Degrees members who signed this petition, wrote to Sajid Javid, and pushed the government to make this important change to the law.

01/07/20 Plans to extend an open cast mine by its owners have been rejected by councillors. The Banks Group wanted to enlarge its Bradley West mine in County Durham to extract an extra 90,000 tonnes of coal. More than 6,000 letters of objection were sent with opponents branding the plan "environmentally unacceptable". Durham County Council's planning officers had recommended the plan be approved but councillors rejected it at a meeting, held via videolink. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-53255021

28th February - BREAKING: we’ve just won! PG Tips have today announced that they are removing plastic from their tea bags. Because 38 Degrees-ers like you stood up to Britain’s biggest tea manufacturer, there will now be 10 billion fewer fewer plastic tea bags damaging our environment every year. https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2018/02/28/pg-tips-won/ PG Tips announces plans to remove plastic from tea bags: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/02/28/pg-tips-switches-plastic-free-tea-bags-200000-sign-gardeners/