I have a longstanding track record of working on climate, nature and wider environmental issues and will continue to, proudly, as your new MP. Before entering Parliament, I have previously worked for Friends of the Earth at a national level, on their Senior Leadership Team, and spent the last 4 years prior to my election working with councils and charities around the country on effective community engagement on the climate and biodiversity emergencies. As part of that, I led the team that ran the UK’s first regional citizens’ assembly on the climate emergency.
Since the election, I have also worked as a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), where I supported our brilliant Secretary of State and Ministerial team on this agenda. In my work as a PPS at Defra, I supported our Ministerial team seeing the Water (Special Measures) Bill through the Commons. I was a member of the Bill Committee for the legislation, so played a key role as part of a small cross-party group of MPs scrutinising the draft legislation line-by-line.
This Bill has now become an Act – is a major step forward in our Labour government’s ambition to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas and to fix the broken water system. I wholeheartedly agree that lawbreaking must go punished, which this Act provides new powers for. Key measures in the Act include: bringing criminal charges against persistent lawbreaking water bosses, including imprisonment; banning the payment of bonuses to failing executives of water companies; introducing severe and automatic fines for offences, and ensuring independent monitoring of every outlet.
I have spoken on this issue in the Commons twice recently – once in a debate on action to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas (my speech can be seen here) and also following the recent publication of the independent Water Commission’s findings. I urged Secretary of State (then Steve Reed) to take urgent action to follow on from the Water (Special Measures) Act, which he confirmed he plans to – including by abolishing Ofwat and introducing a powerful independent regulator. The Secretary of State said that he knows I’ll hold the Government’s feet to the fire on this as a long-term campaigner. If of interest, this Commons exchange can be seen here.
The climate and nature crisis is the greatest long-term global challenge that we face, and I was proud that these words were at the heart of the Labour Party’s manifesto at the General Election – as a vital lens through which we would – and are – acting in government.
The climate crisis has accelerated the nature crisis. Whilst Britain enjoys remarkable natural beauty, the Conservatives have left Britain one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Our new Labour Government is and will always focus on delivering for nature, taking action to meet our Environment Act targets, and working in partnership with civil society, communities and business to restore and protect our natural world.
Since coming into office, our Labour Government has wasted no time in delivering a world-leading agenda on climate and nature, overturning over a decade of delay and inaction. Making Britain a clean energy superpower is one of our five core missions, with a bold commitment to deliver clean power by 2030 and accelerate progress to net zero across the economy—placing the UK ahead of all other major economies.
Our dedication to the natural environment is equally strong. We are determined to meet the ambitious targets set out in the Environment Act, including those on water quality, biodiversity, resource efficiency, and tree and woodland cover. We are also committed to halting the decline of British species by 2030.
To achieve this, our Labour Government will introduce a new statutory plan to protect and restore our natural environment. This plan will focus on cleaning up our waterways, reducing waste, planting millions of trees, improving air quality, and reversing the decline in species abundance.
I’m thrilled that our Labour Government has announced that it will be planting a new National Forest right here in the West of England – The Western Forest – with 20 million trees being planted across Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset over the next 25 years. This will be the first new National Forest in 30 years, and the first of three committed to across the country in our manifesto. The Western Forest will help better connect local people with nature, support wildlife, boost our environment and prevent flooding.
I was also pleased to see our Labour Government published its Pesticides National Action Plan in March, demonstrating its commitment to supporting all pesticide users to use integrated pest management (IPM) approaches. IPM are holistic and sustainable methods which promote prevention over cure to help reduce reliance on pesticides and keep them at levels that minimise risks to human health and the environment.
We are working in partnership with civil society, communities, and businesses to embed climate and nature objectives across government. The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan sets out a clear and optimistic vision for Britain’s future—one that includes energy security, lower bills, good jobs, and decisive climate action.
To make this vision a reality, our Labour Government is undertaking the most ambitious reforms to our energy system in generations. For too long, clean energy projects have been held back by a broken planning system and a dysfunctional power grid. Our plan will finally address these issues and unlock the full potential of Britain’s clean energy future.