A final opportunity to urge MPs to vote for amendments that ensure nature’s protections won’t be weakened could be on the way.
The UK Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill has been making its way through Parliament since March.
A lot of false, anti-nature rhetoric from some of the Government’s most senior ministers has seen nature in the firing line since the very beginning.
We know we don’t need to trash nature to get economic growth. We know a well-designed planning system can deliver better, more affordable homes, built with nature in mind. And as a nature lover you know it too.
On Thursday 13 November, MPs voted down two amendments to the Bill that we have been campaigning on, which would have safeguarded nature from the worst excesses of the new planning system.
The first, and most important (Amendment 40), would have ensured more of our most precious species and habitats would continue to benefit from the same protections they have now.
The second (Amendment 38) would have given more protection to chalk streams – 85% of the world’s chalk streams, a vital fresh-water habitat, are in England.
The vote against these was hugely disappointing. However, we thank the significant number of MPs who spoke up for nature in the debate and voted for the amendments. And we thank everyone who supported our campaign by emailing their MP and asking them to do just that.
The Bill has now gone back to the House of Lords, and we’re currently supporting Peers working to secure a new amendment to the Bill that will reinsert the most important elements.
The Lords will consider the Bill again on Monday 24 November, after which it will return to the Commons. If pro-nature Peers are successful, MPs will have a second chance to do the right thing and vote for nature.
At this point we’ll need your help one last time to make sure MPs hear from their constituents. This will be the last chance to influence the Bill.
Our MPs and the Government need to hear us speaking up for nature – in a voice so loud they can’t ignore it – calling on them to vote for nature.
Once we’ve launched our action, we’ll let you know by posting on our socials and sending an email, so please keep an eye on your feeds and your inboxes.
Together we can make sure they hear us!
