Raw sewage ruckus gathering momentum - here’s how Liverpool MPs voted

With COP26 around the corner, the environment is at the forefront of many conversations happening in parliament and around the world.

The amendment sent back to the House of Commons by the Duke of Wellington in the House of Lords would have enforced policies that made water companies stop pumping raw sewage into our rivers and the ocean.

However, the Conservatives stripped seven key lines from the Duke’s amendment.

The seven lines removed from the amendment would have placed a legal duty on sewage firms to “take all reasonable steps to ensure untreated sewage is not discharged from storm overflows”.

While it is already illegal for Water Companies to pump raw sewage into the water, over 400,000 sewage incidents across the country occurred within a year. Therefore many are calling for more effective legislation to be put in place.

A vote on whether to remove the crucial seven lines from the Duke of Wellington’s amendment was held and despite 22 Tory rebels joining Labour MP’s voting against the changes to the Lords Amendment 45, the watered down version of the Duke’s amendment passed with 268 MPs voting ‘Aye’ and 202 MPs voting ‘No’

Here is a list of Liverpool MPs and how they voted:

Kim Johnson, Labour (Liverpool, Riverside) - No.

Paula Barker, Labour (Wavertree) - No.

Dan Carden, Labour (Walton) - No.

Ian Byrn, Labour (West Derby) - No.

Peter Down, Labour (Bootle) - No.

Dame Angela Eagle, Labour (Wallasey) - No.

Mary Eagle, Labour (Garston and Halewood) - No vote recorded.

Alison McGovern, Labour (Wirral South) - No.

Bill Esterson, Labour (Sefton Central) - No.

Margaret Greenwood, Labour, (Wirral West) - No vote recorded.

Sir George Howarth, Labour (Knowsley) - No vote recorded.

Conor McGinn, Labour, (St Helen's North) - No.

Ms Marie Rimmer, Labour, (St Helen's South and Whiston) - No.

Mick Whitley, Labour (Birkenhead) - No.

Damian Moore, Consevative (Southport) - Yes

You can find the full list of how all MPs voted here.

The issues concerning the amendments have gained a huge following, with many people already holding their local MPs accountable and asking why they would vote to remove something that would have placed a legal duty on organisations “take all reasonable steps to ensure untreated sewage is not discharged from storm overflows”.

Surfers Against Sewage, the organisation that has been at the forefront of this fight for 31 years, has launched a new campaign, encouraging supporters to get involved and in touch with their local MPs:

“The campaign to #EndSewagePollution is far from over. Our voices and our action meant the parliamentary vote on this was very close with MPs from all parties voting in support of this legal duty on water companies,” wrote the group on its website.

“And whilst we lost the vote, this tight race will have sent a clear message to Ministers that much more must be done,” they added.

CEO of Surfers Against Sewage, Hugo Tagholm described the decision taken by the government as “shocking”and questioned its sincerity in mounting a significant course of action to save the environment.

“In this most important of environmental decades, it’s shocking that the government recommended that MPs reject progressive and ambitious amendments that would protect water, air and nature.

“Why wouldn’t they want water companies to have a legal obligation not to pollute our rivers and ocean with sewage, for example? It beggars belief and hardly shows a commitment to be the greenest government ever.

“It’s time for more ambitious thinking and law that builds protected nature back into public ownership rather than leaving it to the ravages of shareholder interests.

“Thanks to all the supporters who contacted their MP - we need your help more than ever in the campaign to End Sewage Pollution,” he added.