Reintroduction of Environment Bill a positive step in Queen’s speech

CIEH has welcomed the inclusion of the Environment Bill in last week’s Queen’s Speech.

At the beginning of the election campaign, CIEH called on all political parties to pledge to bring the Bill back if they should form a government. Following the Conservative Party’s return to government, CIEH immediately advocated for the Bill to be announced in the Government’s first Queen’s Speech.

Ross Matthewman, Head of Policy and Campaigns, said:

“When the election campaign began, we were clear that we wanted all political parties to commit to bringing the Environment Bill back to parliament if they formed a government. We are delighted that the Conservative Party have now done this at the first opportunity, as we advocated for.

There are certainly improvements to be made to the Bill, such as ensuring the Office of Environmental Protection is truly independent and including legally-binding air quality targets in line with World Health Organisation guidelines. However, the Bill is a solid basis for progress on a number of areas

We look forward to a constructive relationship with the Government and will continue to work with stakeholders across the board to bring about positive changes to the Bill.”