A MESSAGE FROM CAROLINE LUCAS, 12TH JANUARY 2009

"I am desperately sorry that a rescheduled vote in the European Parliament in Strasbourg means that I cannot be with you after all tonight. But it’s brilliant that you are all here and congratulations to Climate Rush for making this picnic happen. Climate Rush draws inspiration from the suffragettes for what is a positive, non violent and creative campaign of direct action to urge the Government to take its responsibilities on climate change seriously. As the new generation of ‘climate suffragettes’ descends today on Heathrow Airport for a picnic and entertainment, I call on the Government to rule out any expansion at Heathrow and admit that a new runway would be massively hypocritical considering their pledges to significantly reduce greenhouse gases by 2020."

Dr Caroline Lucas, Leader of the Green Party

MEP for South East England