Newark businessman Steff Wright steps down as Climate Party chairman

A Newark businessman has stepped down from his role as chairman of the Climate Party, turning his focus instead to working with the new Labour government.

Steff Wright has stepped down from his role as chairman of the Climate Party, effective from August 30, and instead the entrepreneur will turn his focus to working with the new government and other organisations to support the transition to a low carbon economy.

The founder and chairman of Collingham-based B Corp accredited business the Gusto Group, which has a focus on sustainable construction and manufacturing, joined the Climate Party in early 2023 because of frustrations with the previous government’s lack of action in driving sustainability.

Steff said: “I’m really proud of the work the Climate Party has done over the last few years by changing the narrative in British politics, linking the opportunities created through the transition to a low carbon economy with the economic growth of the UK.

“Whilst the Climate Party will continue to make this link and encourage the government to move forward their policies to align with climate science, my new direction will now be non-party political, working with all organisations to support this transition and affect the greatest change.”

He believes Labour, which has fewer ties to funding from the fossil fuel industries, has greater scope than the previous government to introduce policies that can reduce harmful emissions in these sectors.

With 25 years of experience building low-energy homes, Steff's mission to aid the decarbonisation of the economy through reduced impact of hard-to-abate sectors aligned with the Climate Party’s aim of driving UK leadership of the new clean industrial revolution through a clear policy to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2030.

He added: “Dealing with the climate and biodiversity crisis is the number one issue of this generation, and all companies have a duty to implement socially and environmentally responsible initiatives that will help deliver net zero much faster.

“No more is that the case than within the carbon-intensive construction sector and it is crucial that the ambitious aim of building 1.5million homes is met in a low carbon way. As part of this target, Gusto Group is committed to the long-term prosperity of our communities and a sustainable future.”

Ed Gemmell, leader of the Climate Party, added: “Hugely effective and exceptionally knowledgeable, Steff has been key to the growth of the Climate Party. From the get-go, Steff was fully behind the Climate Party’s vision of British global leadership of the Clean Industrial Revolution, created through an ambitious commitment to 2030 net zero. The Climate Party is even more relevant today with the Labour government and Conservative Party both committed to drilling for fossil fuels into the 2050s and the Green Party rowing back on its target for net zero.

“The critical work now begins to convince Labour to up its game for the sake of British industry and the economy as well as for our collective global future.”