The following politicians welcomed the launch of We Support Solar in 2009.

Speaking at the We Support Solar Parliamentary reception on 13th July, Energy and Climate Change Minister Joan Ruddock MP said:
“Solar power has the potential to make a significant contribution to the UK transition to low carbon. It is for this reason we will be rewarding small scale renewables with clean energy cashbacks from April next year.”

Lynne Jones MP (Lab Birmingham Selly Oak) said:
“The Government’s decision to introduce a feed-in tariff for renewable electricity technologies gives us an opportunity to maximise UK jobs, UK innovation and UK investment in solar PV. If we are going to deliver our 2020 renewable energy targets, solar PV will need to be an important part of the mix.”

Colin Challen MP (Lab Morley & Rothwell) said:
“As the UK gears up to delivering our 2020 target of 15 % renewable energy, we will need big contributions from all renewable energy technologies. Solar PV was the forgotten technology in the Government’s renewable energy strategy consultation, but it has immense potential in the UK. The Government’s welcome decision to introduce a feed-in tariff for solar PV and other renewable electricity technologies now needs to be followed with tariff levels that can actually push forward these technologies quickly in the UK market.”

Peter Hain MP (Lab Neath and former Energy Minister) said:
“The vast potential of solar PV in the UK is undeniable. But what the sector needs above all else is a coherent, long-term policy framework that plays to the UKs strengths in building integrated PV and our solar design and engineering expertise. The UK can still be a global leader in solar PV with enormous benefits in terms of exports, jobs and investment for the UK economy.”

Kate Hoey MP (Lab Vauxhall) said:
“I want to see tens of thousands of people employed in solar PV in the UK, not hundreds. The German experience shows that if you get the feed-in tariff mechanism right huge investment in domestic industry and jobs will follow. It is therefore essential that in bringing forward plans for a UK feed-in tariff for renewable electricity, the Government recognises the major contribution that solar PV can make both to our EU renewable energy targets and to much needed UK jobs and investment, and sets the PV tariff level accordingly.”

Michael Meacher MP (Lab - Oldham West and Royton and former Environment Minister) said:
“Solar PV is a well established, proven and robust technology that has potential to make a significant contribution in the UK. Ed Miliband’s decision to introduce a feed-in tariff for solar PV and other small-scale renewable electricity technologies is potentially a real turning point for the UK solar PV sector. It gives the UK a vital new policy tool that should help to maximise the contribution from solar PV to our demanding renewable energy target.”

Diane Abbott MP (Lab Hackney North & Stoke Newington)

Nick Ainger MP (Lab Carmarthen West & South Pembrokeshire)

David Anderson MP (Lab Blaydon)

Janet Anderson MP (Lab Rossendale and Darwen)

Charlotte Atkins MP (Lab Staffordshire Moorlands)

John Austin MP (Lab Erith and Thamesmead)

Gordon Banks MP (Lab Ochil and South Perthshire)

Kevin Barron MP (Lab Rother Valley)

John Battle MP (Lab Leeds West)

Hugh Bayley MP (Lab City of York)

Anne Beg MP (Lab Aberdeen South)

Joe Benton MP (Lab Bootle)

Roger Berry MP (Lab Kingswood)

David Borrow MP (Lab South Ribble)

Russell Brown MP (Lab Dumfries & Galloway)

Richard Burden MP (Lab Birmingham Northfield)

Colin Burgon MP (Lab Elmet)

Richard Caborn MP (Lab Sheffield Central)

Ronnie Campbell MP (Lab Blyth Valley)

Martin Caton MP (Lab Gower)

Ian Cawsey MP (Lab Brigg & Goole)

David Chaytor MP (Lab Bury North)

Michael Clapham MP (Lab Barnsley W & Penistone)

Katy Clark MP (Lab North Ayshire & Arran)

Tom Clarke MP (Lab Coatbridge Chryston and Bellshill)

David Clelland MP (Lab Tyne Bridge)

Ann Clwyd MP (Lab Cynon Valley)

Harry Cohen MP (Lab Leyton & Wanstead)

Michael Connarty MP (Lab Linlithgow & E Falkirk)

Frank Cook MP (Lab Stockton North)

Jeremy Corbyn MP (Lab Islington North)

Jim Cousins MP (Lab Newcastle upon Tyne Central)

David Crausby MP (Lab Bolton NE)

Ann Cryer MP (Lab Keighley)

Claire Curtis-Thomas MP (Lab Crosby)

Janet Dean MP (Lab Burton)

Jim Devine MP (Lab Livingston)

Parmjit Dhanda MP (Lab Gloucester)

Andrew Dismore MP (Lab Hendon)

Jim Dobbin MP (Lab Heywood & Middleton)

Frank Dobson MP (Lab Holborn & St Pancras)

Jim Dowd MP (Lab Lewisham West)

David Drew MP (Lab Stroud)

Louise Ellman MP (Lab Liverpool Riverside)

Bill Etherington MP (Lab Sunderland North)

Paul Farrelly MP (Lab Newcastle-under-Lyme)

Paul Flynn MP (Lab Newport West)

Mike Gapes MP (Lab Ilford South)

Neil Gerrard MP (Lab Walthamstow)

Roger Godsiff MP (Lab Birmingham Sparkbrook & Small Heath)

John Grogan MP (Lab Selby)

Patrick Hall MP (Lab Bedford)

Fabian Hamilton MP (Lab Leeds North East)

Dai Havard MP (Lab Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney)

John Heppell MP (Lab Nottingham E)

David Heyes MP (Lab Ashton-under-Lyne)

Kelvin Hopkins MP (Lab Luton N)

George Howarth MP (Lab Knowsley North and Sefton East)

Kim Howells MP (Lab Pontypridd)

Lindsay Hoyle MP (Lab Chorley)

Joan Humble MP (Lab Blackpool North & Fleetwood)

Brian Iddon MP (Lab Bolton SE)

Eric Illsley MP (Lab Barnsley Central)

Glenda Jackson MP (Lab Hampstead & Highgate)

Brian Jenkins MP (Lab Tamworth)

Martyn Jones MP (Lab Clwyd South)

Gerald Kaufman MP (Lab Manchester Gorton)

Alan Keen MP (Lab Feltham & Heston)

Fraser Kemp MP (Lab Houghton and Washington East)

Bob Laxton MP (Lab Derby North)

David Lepper MP (Lab Brighton Pavilion)

Tom Levitt MP (Lab High Peak)

Martin Linton MP (Lab Battersea)

Tony Lloyd MP (Lab Manchester Central)

Andrew Love MP (Lab Edmonton)

Andrew Mackinlay MP (Lab Thurrock)

Fiona Mactaggart MP (Lab Slough)

Judy Mallaber MP (Lab Amber Valley)

John Mann MP (Lab Bassetlaw)

Gordon Marsden MP (Lab Blackpool S)

Robert Marshall-Andrews MP (Lab Medway)

Chris McCafferty MP (Lab Calder Valley)

John McDonnell MP (Lab Hayes & Harlington)

Siobhain McDonagh MP (Lab Mitcham and Morden)

Alan Meale MP (Lab Mansfield)

Austin Mitchell MP (Lab Great Grimsby)

Laura Moffatt MP (Lab Crawley)

Julie Morgan MP (Lab Cardiff North)

Chris Mullin MP (Lab Sunderland South)

Denis Murphy MP (Lab Wansbeck)

Paul Murphy MP (Lab Torfaen)

Doug Naysmith MP (Lab Bristol NW)

Bill Olner MP (Lab Nuneaton)

Nick Palmer MP (Lab Broxtowe)

Stephen Pound MP (Lab Ealing N)

Gordon Prentice MP (Lab Pendle)

Andy Reed MP (Lab Loughborough)

Linda Riordan MP (Lab Halifax)

Geoffrey Robinson MP (Lab Coventry North West)

Joan Ryan MP (Lab Enfield North)

Barry Sheerman MP (Lab Huddersfield)

Clare Short MP (Ind Lab Birmingham Ladywood)

Alan Simpson MP (Lab Nottingham South)

Andy Slaughter MP (Lab Ealing Acton & Shepherds Bush)

Angela C Smith MP (Lab Sheffield Hillsborough)

Geraldine Smith MP (Lab Morecambe and Lunesdale)

Peter Soulsby MP (Lab Leicester South)

Helen Southworth MP (Lab Warrington South)

Ian Stewart MP (Lab Eccles)

Phyllis Starkey MP (Lab Milton Keynes SW)

Howard Stoate MP (Lab Dartford)

Gavin Strang MP (Lab Edinburgh East)

David Taylor MP (Lab/Co-op NW Leicestershire)

Emily Thornberry MP (Lab Islington South & Finsbury)

Paddy Tipping MP (Lab Sherwood)

Mark Todd MP (Lab S Derbyshire)

Paul Truswell MP (Lab Pudesy)

Des Turner MP (Lab Brighton Kemptown)

Rudi Vis MP (Lab Finchley & Golders green)

Joan Walley MP (Lab Stoke-on-Trent North)

Robert N Wareing MP (Lab West Derby)

Betty Williams MP (Lab Conwy)

Mike Wood MP (Lab Batley & Spen)

Anthony D Wright MP (Lab Great Yarmouth)

Greg Barker MP (Con Bexhill & Battle) said:

“11 years of Labour Government have been 11 wasted years as far as solar PV and other small-scale renewable electricity technologies are concerned. Last year the UK installed just 0.3% of the solar PV installed in Germany. But very belatedly the Government has decided to steal one of our policies and introduce a feed-in tariff. We will now be watching very carefully to see whether the policy sets tariff levels that will really make a difference to the uptake of solar PV, or just proves to be a cosmetic rebranding of a failed policy rather than the genuine change we urgently need.”

Peter Ainsworth MP (Con East Surrey and Shadow Environment Secretary) said:
“The UN has identified solar power as a key mitigation technology with enormous job creation potential. Here in the UK, the Government’s own consultants have identified the potential of solar power to contribute more electricity than the proposed Cardiff-Weston Severn Barrage for example, while solar cost reductions are bringing grid parity ever nearer. The Government’s renewable energy strategy document to be published this spring should recognise the important contribution that solar power can make to delivering the 2020 targets and beyond.”

Charles Hendry MP (Con Wealden and Shadow Minister for Energy) said:
“Solar technology has a very exciting future, particularly as the technology is developing at such a rapid pace. The potential for every home to have a portion of their electricity generated on-site will lower carbon emissions by reducing dependence on fossil fuel power stations, lower energy bills by requiring less electricity from the grid and give homeowners the chance to sell electricity back to the grid with the use of smart-meters. That is why I am proud of the part that the Conservative Party played in persuading the initially reluctant Government to accept feed-in tariffs and smart-meters as part of the Energy Act, and believe that the legislation we helped put in place will one day allow this sector to rival that of Germany”.

Nick Hurd MP (Con Ruislip-Northwood and a member of the Commons Environmental Audit Select Committtee) said:
“Alongside other renewable technologies, solar PV has a big role to play in helping the UK to meet its 2020 and 2050 targets. The Government now needs to take urgent steps to ensure that the proposed new feed-in tariff for solar PV really does give individuals, companies and organisations the incentive to invest in the technology. Otherwise the new Government policy will be so much hot air.”

Peter Luff MP (Con Mid Worcestershire and Chairman Business and Enterprise Committee) said:
“Both solar photovoltaics and solar hot water technologies have great potential in the UK. Solar energy can play a significant part in helping to deliver our 2020 renewables target. That’s why I’m very pleased to support this new campaign.”

Andrew Selous MP (Con South West Bedfordshire) said:
“I would like to see the UK match and surpass Germany in its use of solar power. We need to lead in this technology, not lag behind.”

Bill Wiggin MP (Con Leominster and Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries) said:
“I very much welcome this new campaign. In “Power to the People” published in 2007 we set out our detailed plans to boost the uptake of solar PV and other small-scale renewable energy technologies through a feed-in tariff. In other European countries, the agricultural sector is one of the biggest investors in technologies such as solar PV, driven by feed-in tariff mechanisms. There is no reason why the same could not happen here in the UK.”

Michael Ancram MP (Con Devizes)

James Arbuthnot MP (Con NE Hampshire)

Tony Baldry MP (Con Banbury)

Tim Boswell MP (Con Daventry)

Simon Burns MP (Con West Chelmsford)

Alistair Burt MP (Con North East Bedfordshire)

John Butterfill MP (Con Bournemouth W)

Greg Clark MP (Con Tunbridge Wells and Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change)

David Curry MP (Con Skipton & Ripon)

David TC Davies MP (Con Monmouth)

Jonathan Djanogly MP (Con Huntingdon)

Stephen Dorrell MP (Con Charnwood)

Nadine Dorries MP (Con Mid Bedfordshire)

James Duddridge MP (Con Rochford & Southend E)

Alan Duncan MP (Con Rutland & Melton)

Philip Dunne MP (Con Ludlow)

Tobias Ellwood MP (Con Bournemouth East)

Nigel Evans MP (Con Ribble Valley)

David Evennett MP (Con Bexleyheath and Crayford)

Michael Fabricant MP (Con Lichfield)

Michael Fallon MP (Con Sevenoaks)

Liam Fox MP (Con Woodspring)

Christopher Fraser MP (Con SW Norfolk)

Edward Garnier MP (Con Harborough)

Robert Goodwill MP (Con Scarborough & Whitby)

James Gray MP (Con N Wiltshire)

Damian Green MP (Con Ashford)

John Gummer MP (Con Suffolk Coastal)

Philip Hammond MP (Con Runnymede & Weybridge)

Oliver Heald MP (Con NE Hertfordshire)

Adam Holloway MP (Con Gravesham)

John Horam MP (Con Orpington)

Michael Howard MP (Con Folkestone & Hythe)

Gerald Howarth MP (Con Aldershot)

Jeremy Hunt MP (Con South West Surrey)

Stewart Jackson MP (Con Peterborough)

Bernard Jenkin MP (Con N Essex)

David Jones MP (Con Clywd West)

Robert Key MP (Con Salisbury)

Julie Kirkbride MP (Con Bromsgrove)

Eleanor Laing MP (Con Epping Forest)

Edward Leigh MP (Con Gainsborough)

Oliver Letwin MP (Con West Dorset)

Julian Lewis MP (Con New Forest East)

David Lidington MP (Con Aylesbury)

Andrew Mackay MP (Con Bracknell)

David Maclean MP (Con Penrith & the Border)

Michael Mates MP (Con East Hampshire)

Theresa May MP (Con Maidenhead)

Patrick Mercer MP (Con Newark)

Maria Miller MP (Con Basingstoke)

Andrew Mitchell MP (Con Sutton Coldfield)

Malcolm Moss MP (Con NE Cambridgeshire)

Andrew Murrison MP (Con Westbury)

Brooks Newmark MP (Con Braintree)

Richard Ottaway MP (Con Croydon South)

Mike Penning MP (Con Hemel Hempstead)

John Penrose MP (Con Weston-super-Mare)

Mark Prisk MP (Con Hertford & Stortford)

David Ruffley MP (Con Bury St Edmunds)

Grant Shapps MP (Con Welwyn Hatfield)

Richard Shepherd MP (Con Aldridge-Brownhills)

Keith Simpson MP (Con Mid Norfolk)

Nicholas Soames MP (Con Mid Sussex)

Caroline Spelman MP (Con Meriden)

Hugo Swire MP (Con East Devon)

Ian Taylor MP (Con Esher & Walton)

Lord Taylor of Holbeach CBE (Con Shadow Environment Minister)

Ed Vaizey MP (Con Wantage)

Robert Walter MP (Con N Dorset)

Angela Watkinson MP (Con Upminster)

John Whittingdale MP (Con Maldon & E Chelmsford)

David Willetts MP (Con Havant)

Jim Wright MP (Con Rugby and Kenilworth)

Tim Yeo MP (Con South Suffolk)

Steve Webb MP (Lib Dem Northavon and Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions) said:

“We’ve been calling for greater urgency from Government on promoting renewable energy technologies such as solar PV for many years. Solar PV is a proven technology in the UK and one that can play a big role in making our towns and cities greener. That’s why we’re urging the Government to set appropriate feed-in tariff levels for solar PV, to encourage investment in the UK industry, to boost green jobs in British solar PV manufacturing, and to maximise the contribution that this technology can make to the 2020 target.”

Mick Bates AM (Lib Dem Montgomeryshire) said:
“There is huge potential for increasing our renewable energy capacity in the UK and the Government must not let the sun go down on solar PV, which has an important role to play. We already have production capacity here in Wales for PV and by increasing this capacity we will stimulate our local economies with green jobs and businesses that benefit our environment.
It is vital that the UK Government wakes up to the potential that solar PV has to offer and with the help of feed-in-tariffs ups the demand for this technology, which can play such an important part in moving us forward towards a low carbon future.”

Nick Clegg MP Leader of the Liberal Democrats said:
“I’m very happy to endorse this initiative. The UK has a massive renewable energy resource and we will need significant contributions from all of them, including solar power, if we are going to deliver a low and then a zero carbon economy.

John Hemming MP (Lib Dem Birmingham Yardley) said:
“with peak oil a looming reality and our stretching 2020 renewable energy target, Government needs to put in place urgently policies such as feed-in tariffs to really drive forward the solar PV sector in the UK. Solar PV can play an important role in helping to deliver the 2020 target and deliver many thousands of new British jobs in the sector along the way.”

Lembit Opik MP (Lib Dem Montgomeryshire) said:
“With solar PV manufacturing facilities at Wrexham, Pencoed near Bridgend and Cardiff, Wales is already the beating heart of the UK solar industry, employing hundreds of people. However, the current Government has not helped our fledgling solar PV sector through 11 years of stop-go grant policies, making it impossible for companies to invest with confidence. The new feed-in tariff policy announced by Ed Miliband should help to deliver many thousands more solar PV jobs for Wales but only if the Government works with the sector to really deliver on the policy and to do so quickly.

Dan Rogerson MP (Lib Dem North Cornwall) said:
“I very much welcome this campaign. Other European countries are seeing real benefits through their encouragement of solar PV. The UK Government will be missing a huge opportunity if it does not follow suit.”

Adrian Sanders MP (Lib Dem Torbay) said:
“Great campaign I wish every success. Solar has an important contribution to make to our energy mix.”

Jenny Willott MP (Lib Dem Cardiff Central) said:
If we are to achieve and exceed our renewable energy targets , we have to invest in all options. We have huge untapped solar resources and by building the capacity, we have the potential to create both green energy and jobs.

Danny Alexander MP (Lib Dem Inverness Nairn Badenoch and Strathspey)

Norman Baker MP (Lib Dem Lewes)

John Barrett MP (Lib Dem Edinburgh West)

Alan Beith MP (Lib Dem Berwick-upon-Tweed)

Tom Brake MP (Lib Dem Carshalton & Wallington)

Colin Breed MP (Lib Dem SE Cornwall)

Annette Brooke MP (Lib Dem Mid Dorset and Poole)

Jeremy Browne MP (Lib Dem Taunton)

Malcolm Bruce MP (Lib Dem Gordon)

Lorely Burt MP (Lib Dem Solihull)

Paul Burstow MP (Lib Dem Sutton and Cheam)

Vince Cable MP (Lib Dem Twickenham)

Sir Menzies Campbell MP (Lib Dem NE Fife)

Alistair Carmichael MP (Lib Dem Orkney & Shetland)

Ed Davey MP (Lib Dem Kingston and Surbiton)

Tim Farron MP (Lib Dem Westmorland & Lonsdale)

Lyne Featherstone MP (Lib Dem Hornsey & Wood Green)

Don Foster MP (Lib Dem Bath)

Andrew George MP (Lib Dem St Ives)

Sandra Gidley MP (Lib Dem Romsey)

Julia Goldsworthy MP (Lib Dem Falmouth & Cambourne)

Mike Hancock MP (Lib dem Portsmouth South)

Dr Evan Harris MP (Lib Dem Oxford West and Abingdon)

Nick Harvey MP (Lib Dem North Devon)

David Heath MP (Lib Dem Somerton & Frome)

Paul Holmes MP (Lib Dem Chesterfield)

Martin Horwood MP (Lib Dem Cheltenham)

David Howarth MP (Lib Dem Cambridge)

Simon Hughes MP (Lib Dem North Southwark & Bermondsey, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change)

Chris Huhne MP (Lib Dem Eastleigh)

Mark Hunter MP (Lib Dem Cheadle)

Paul Keetch MP (Lib Dem Hereford)

Charles Kennedy MP (Lib Dem. Ross, Skye & Lochaber)

Susan Kramer MP (Lib Dem Richmond Park

Norman Lamb MP (Lib Dem North Norfolk)

David Laws MP (Lib Dem Yeovil)

John Leech MP (Lib Dem Manchester Withington)

Michael Moore MP (Lib Berwickshire Roxburgh and Selkirk)

Greg Mulholland MP (Lib Dem Leeds NW)

Bill Newton Dunn MEP (Lib Dem East Midlands)

Mark Oaten MP (Lib Dem Winchester)

John Pugh MP (Lib Dem Southport)

Alan Reid MP (Lib Dem Argyll & Bute)

Paul Rowen MP (Lib Dem Rochdale)

Bob Russell MP (Lib Dem Colchester)

Robert Smith MP (Lib Dem W Aberdeenshire & Kincardine)

Andrew Stunell MP (Lib Dem Hazel Grove)

Jo Swinson MP (Lib Dem - East Dunbartonshire)

Matthew Taylor MP (Lib Dem St Austell)

Sarah Teather MP (Lib Dem Brent East)

John Thurso MP (Lib Dem Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross)

Mark Williams MP (Lib Dem Ceredigion)

Roger Williams MP (Lib Dem Brecon & Radnorshire)

Stephen Williams MP (Lib Dem Bristol)

Phil Willis MP (Lib Dem Harrogate & Knaresborough)

Richard Younger-Ross MP (Lib Dem Teignbridge)

Caroline Lucas MEP and Leader Green Party said:
“Germany, thanks to its Green Party-run Environment Ministry, became a world leader in solar power many years ago, while Britain is still only at the starting blocks. This government’s shameful failure to promote solar energy not only means that we’re missing out on a major source of renewable energy that could make a vital contribution to our energy needs - it also means we’re losing out on the creation of good quality, green jobs. Now that Ministers have finally given in to the enormous pressure to introduce feed-in tariffs, it’s vital that we ensure that they are set at a level that will really make a difference. With an encroaching peak in oil production, and accelerating climate change, it’s never been more urgent to support real investment in solar energy.”

Cllr Darren Johnson AM (Green Party London Assembly) said:
“Solar technology could help transform every home and every office into a mini power station, generating clean, green renewable energy. Yet we are barely scratching the surface of what is achievable and we need the Government to recognise the massive potential of solar energy as part of a coherent renewable energy plan.”

Green Party, Manchester said:
Imagine we had a Green government and it delivered a national programme of non-nuclear renewables…

Mark Durkan MP (SDLP Foyle)

Alasdair McDonnell MP (SDLP Belfast South)

Eddie McGrady MP (SDLP South Down)

Angus MacNeil MP (SNP Na h-Eileanan an Iar)

Mike Weir MP (SNP Angus)

Pete Wishart MP (SNP Perth & N Perthshire)

Elfyn Llwyd MP (Plaid Cymru Meirionnyd Nant Conwy)

Hywel Williams MP (Plaid Cymru Caernarfon)

Leanne Wood AM (Plaid Cymru South Wales Central)

Adam Price MP (Plaid Cymru Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)

Dai Davies MP (Ind Blaenu Gwent)

Andrew Pelling MP (Ind Croydon Central)

Bob Spink MP (Ind Castle Point)

Richard Taylor MP (Ind Wyre Forest)

Gregory Campbell MP (DUP Londonderry East)

Nigel Dodds MP (DUP Belfast North)

Peter Robinson MP (DUP Belfast East)

Lady Sylvia Hermon MP (UU North Down)

George Galloway MP (Respect)