Running for the law

The summer holidays are officially over as the kids go back to the school on the same day that MPs return to the House of Commons.  

The dominant political debate this term will, of course, be the negotiation over Brexit.  Despite the first big Cabinet discussion last week and the words from Prime Minister May this weekend calling for a 'unique' deal, we we still really do not know what sort of Brexit arrangements Prime Minister May wants or can get from her 27 European counterparts and therefore what the full implications will be for nature.  

Brexit could be at the ‘hard’ end of the spectrum – if the UK no longer has access to the single market thereby losing all EU environmental laws – or at the 'soft’ end – if the UK secures membership of the European Economic Area with access to single market, thereby inheriting an obligation to respect environmental standards so that it is not tempted to secure competitive advantage by trashing its environment.  My guess it will be somewhere in between which will inevitably mean that we shall have to clearly make the case to replace any legal protection that is lost.  

This is not just a concern for environmental NGOs, it must also be a concern for the UK Government that was elected on a promise to restore biodiversity in 25 years.  As the new State of Nature report to be launched next week will spell out very clearly, politicians will need to be investing their finite political energy in finding new ways to make it easier for people to help restore wildlife while also stepping up efforts to reduce pressures on nature.  The debates about new agriculture and fisheries policies will begin in earnest this term but there is at least one thing that the UK Government can do immediately.  It could follow the lead of the US and China and ratify the Paris climate agreement and then publish an effective carbon plan that keeps us on track to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in step with the ambition in the carbon budgets.

This term should also see a parliamentary debate on the future of driven grouse shooting triggered by more than 100,000 people signing a petition for a ban.  Reform is desperately needed to improve the environmental conditions of our uplands and to end the illegal killing of birds of prey.  We shall, as my colleague Jeff Knott explained while I was away, be making the case for a system of licensing but I hope that the shooting community recognises that this is the moment to clean up its up.  

The map shows the widespread nature of crimes against birds of prey and evidence suggests that the level of persecution has continued this century.  

Whether or not we secure regulatory reform this session, enforcement of the law will remain essential which is why the work of our investigation team is so important.  This is the team that works tirelessly with the police to protect birds of prey (including the new hen harrier class of 2016) and catch criminals.  And it is why I am taking part in the Great North Run next Sunday to raise money for their work.   I have said that I will add 50% of any funds raised if I run the half marathon in under one hour forty-five minutes but will double the donation if I am over that time.  Despite my warm weather training over the summer, I have a feeling that this could be an expensive weekend for me.  If you would like to help the work of our investigations team (and make it even more expensive for me), then please do sponsor me here.    

And finally, if you are returning to school, to the office or to Parliament, I hope the memories of your summer help to make your new term successful and productive.

My warm weather training involved toasting Coquet Island and the remarkable recovery of the roseate tern population