It was a pleasure to welcome the Shadow Environment Secretary, Maria Eagle MP, to the Lodge today. In the run up to the General Election, we are encouraging all political parties to be clear about their environmental ambitions and what they would do if they are elected.
So, it was good to hear Maria Eagle share thoughts on what we can expect from a future Labour Government. I expect more details to emerge closer to the election (for example how they plan to tackle wildlife crime) but she outlined some concrete proposals regarding ambition, governance, policy and resources. Here are a few extracts from her speech (my emphasis in bold)...
...As the Environment Secretary in the next Labour Government I want to improve on our proud record. Just as we did in 1949 we need to rebuild a nation and an economy but also honour our duty to protect and enhance the natural environment. And we need to this at a time of unprecedented threats caused by climate change.
...The next Labour Government will pick up the work done in the Pitt and Lawton reviews as part of our plan to develop a new climate change adaptation programme. Both of those reviews taught us that we must increase our resilience to climate change whilst at the same time enhancing the natural environment.
...We’ll publish our new adaptation programme before the international climate change negotiations take place in December. We’ll ensure a UK Government led by Ed Miliband goes to Paris with a strong domestic record on climate to support our credibility at the negotiations. Action on climate is made easier in the UK by the targets and milestones we set ourselves in the carbon budgets
...And we need start doing the same for nature. I recognise the valuable work done by the Natural Capital Committee and the need to build on its work. So the next Labour Government will develop a 25 year plan for the recovery of nature. And it will have clear 5 year milestones to measure progress. This will be a framework under which public and private sector bodies can integrate decisions about nature into their all their activities
...We need to do much more to ensure that payments under the Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy contribute to environmental protection. So the next Labour Government will put an end to the perverse approach where in some cases we spend public money twice. Once to pay for damage to ecosystems and then again to pay for their repair. Take the example of our upland peatland sites. They store carbon, reduce flood risk and help provide clean water. But despite large amounts of public money going in to the conservation of the English uplands, only 10 per cent are in good condition
...A Labour Government will make it clear that our future is in Europe, and we will defend the directives that protect nature. And on the Common Agricultural Policy Labour believes there should be no arbitrary trade-off between food production and wider issues of sustainability, or between food affordability and the natural environment... So today I can announce that Labour will move to a full 15% of CAP money going to pillar 2 from 2017. No review. No rehearsing of the arguments
...We also need to ensure better value for money by giving local authorities the tools to protect nature. We need to stop environmental problems upstream through better planning...So the next Labour Government will develop brand new guidance to give local communities the tools they need to protect and improve nature
...I can pledge today that the next Labour Government will protect our forests, keeping them in public ownership. And we will reform the forestry commission to increase public access to nature
...And Labour will ensure that a coherent and resilient ecological network is created over time in line with the Lawton Review's recommendations. The economic and social case for these reforms is overwhelming, the Natural Capital Committee made that clear last week. But crucially, woodland has to be located near towns and cities. That’s because of the strong correlation between the quality of the natural environment where people live and their health and wellbeing.
During a full question and answer session (involving friends from WWF, The Wildlife Trusts, Friends of the Earth and the Woodland Trust), we explored other issues such as...
...the UK's leadership role on global conservation - pool Whitehall budgets to develop shared agenda and get own house in order before preaching to others
...how to secure support from the Treasury - political leadership is key but Natural Capital Committee would continue to be important
...whether her ambitions should be wrapped up in a Nature Bill - not ruled out, but currently unconvinced it is necessary to deliver the 25 year plan
...and the current threats to SSSIs such as Rampisham and Lodge Hill - not aware of detail of individual cases, but clearly SSSIs should be protected
These are conversations that I am sure will continue in the run up to the May poll.
I look forward to welcoming to the Lodge or any of our nature reserves spokespeople from the other political parties so they too can share their plans for nature.
In the meantime, what do you think of Maria Eagle's speech?
It would be great to hear your views.
Thanks RSPB for this initiative – getting the main political parties to present their policies to UK’s leading conservation groups in advance of the election will be of great interest to me and I guess many others.
While I will consider matters such as Europe, NHS and the economy, the parties’ policies on nature and conservation will have a major impact on my voting decision in May.
This week’s speech from Labour’s shadow minister is a good start and I hope will set the bar for the other parties. While I do not understand the full implications of these proposals, particularly the CAP funding, I assume the RSPB and other conservation groups have the expertise to assess the impacts on nature conservation.
I was surprised the Shadow Minister was ‘not aware of detail of individual case’ – such as Lodge Hill. Surely she would have been briefed on such a high profile conservation matter when addressing the RSPB and other Wildlife groups. Hopefully the other parties will learn from this oversight and make better preparations for their presentation.
How good are Maria's promises ? Well, as many pundits are pointing out for the first time ever we can judge all three 'major' parties on their performance in Government and, quite frankly, there is no contest between Labour and Conservative - remember the graph Martin had on this blog recently of SSSI condition ? Labour made a huge effort - recruiting landowners, Government land managers like FC and MOD and NGOs in a concentrated and successful effort to push our best sites in the right direction - and what has happened ? The figures show they are fast slumping back to where we started. Don't make the mistake of thinking this is just about money - whoever gets in, bids for shedloads of new money will go nowhere - it is about attitude, the difference between people who really believed and acted to improve our environment compared to people who see the environment we all live in as an inconvenience and the readers 9and author!) of this blog as part of a 'green blob'. So forget the promises - focus on the performance - and ask why, when you were in Government, didn't you do it - the answer Labour can proudly give on most of their promises is, well, actually we did.
Hi Jonny - the current government decided to move 12% of Pillar I payments into Pillar II about 85% of which then will go into the new Countryside Stewardship Scheme. They had committed to reviewing this in 2017. What Labour have done is essentially say, we won't review, its the right thing and the result will be an extra £2-300m for wildlife friendly farming. OK?
Redkite/Miles - on Rampisham/Lodge Hill - officially these sit with the shadow CLG team, so officially Hilary Benn's brief. We shall, of course, be doing follow-up briefing. And Redkite - I think that there will be more on raptors in a separate announcement in a couple of weeks.
And yes, SC/Avenue Wild, we should always judge people on deeds although words can be important...
Good morning Martin,
Quick query with regards:
'So today I can announce that Labour will move to a full 15% of CAP money going to pillar 2 from 2017. No review. No rehearsing of the arguments'.
Is pillar 2 solely for on-farm agri-environmental measures? I know the government is currently between schemes with a new agri-environmental scheme due to be announced.
I may have confused two issues here, but keen to understand how the moving of pillar 2 funds will result in benefits to wildlife?
Also, I love that the shadow environment secretary has Eagle in her name!
Yours,
Jonny
This is very encouraging, it has been a while since we heard from Labour on the subject of nature and our environment. If Marie means what she says then I could be drawn back towards Labour from The Greens. But the echo's of the Conservatives "we'll be the greenest government ever" speech still ring loudly in my ears.