The Government is not proposing an attack on nature.
What is happening is that a number of environmental charities are sadly providing very provocative and misleading headlines suggesting that environmental protections are being ripped up. This is simply nonsense, but the unwarranted suggestion that Government is attacking nature is making many people angry.
The environment, farming and economic growth go hand in hand. Last year, the Conservative government passed our world leading Environment Act, which included a commitment to halt the decline of nature by 2030. We are fully committed to doing this. I want to be clear that this Conservative government will never undermine our commitments to the environment in pursuit of growth. Any reforms we make will rightly contribute to growing our economy in equal step with successfully meeting our commitments in the ‘25 Year Environment Plan’ and reaching the legally binding environmental targets we will be setting under the Act. I am extremely proud of this Government’s record on environmental delivery and as a member of the Conservative Environment Network (the caucus of Conservative MPs who campaign for greater prominence of environmental issues), I will resist any suggestion of watering down that record.
Internationally, we have committed to protect 30% of the United Kingdom’s land and ocean by 2030 too, through the Leaders Pledge for Nature, committing to put nature and biodiversity globally on a road to recovery by 2030.
Our environmental schemes need to work better for those implementing them, the farmers and the landowners. These schemes are often over complicated and underfunded and do not always work for small farmers. I do not see the problem with looking at how they can work better, surely this is a good thing? We need to help farmers be more productive and every farmer knows that biodiversity makes the land more productive, and they all want these schemes to work and help them produce food in a sustainable way.
I must be clear; Investment Zones are not about rolling back environmental protections across the country, nor imposing unrealistic and unsuitable housing and development on places. Investment Zones will be specific sites, put forward and agreed to by local areas, that will drive economic growth and investment across a wider geography in a way that is right for them. Zones will not be dictated by central government. The process of areas becoming Investment Zones will look at economic opportunity, pace of delivery and wider strategic considerations.
Your direct questions:
• Will you demand that key nature protections are kept within UK law and not ripped up by December 2023, or weakened within new Investment Zones?
I do not need to demand anything as these protections are already Government policy. We have several Special Areas of Conservation in Southend West, in particular the foreshore and the whole of Two Tree Island and Belfairs Woods. I do not believe that that either of those reserves or any of our Green Belt for that matter would be included in any future Investment Zones, if a bid were even submitted (or any bid that the Government would approve).
• Will you demand that the Environmental Land Management Scheme is retained to enable farmers to provide more nature alongside high-quality food?
I do not need to demand this as retention of our environmental schemes is not in question. The question the Government is posing is how we can improve them.
• Will you do all you can to make Britain a world leader in protecting nature at home whilst committing to an ambitious global deal for nature at the Convention on Biological Diversity COP 15?
It already is.
Anna