• A message to the incoming Environment Secretary
    The sixth Secretary of State in eight years has been appointed today to succeed Margaret Becket, David Miliband, Hilary Benn, Caroline Spelman and Owen Paterson. A warm welcome to Liz Truss MP. ...
  • Yesterday's speech by the new Secretary of State at Defra
    Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP speech at the Angela Marmont Centre for Biodiversity, 20 May 2010 Thank you all for taking the time to be here, great venue. When my kids were younger, I was glad of this...
  • An open letter to the incoming Environment Secretary
    I wrote this open letter for my column in the latest issue of Nature's Home magazine (which lands on doormats over the next fortnight). Now that the manifestos have appeared (see here ), it seemed timely...
  • A reflection on Michael Gove's first major environment speech
    What should we expect from a first speech from a new Environment Secretary of State ? We’d hope for personal commitment, a clear analysis as to why nature is in trouble, and an ambition to restore nature...
  • Reflection on Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's environment speech
    Early in the year I argued that it was important for political leaders to talk in public about their environmental ambitions. Today, the Deputy Prime Minister did just that. You can read his speech here...