Hundreds of environmental protection laws will be destroyed as a result of just one government bill. This puts our rich, beautiful, and diverse wildlife, which is already hanging on by a thread as a result of human driven climate change and habitat loss, in immense danger, and needs to be stopped.

The bill in question is the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, introduced on the 22nd of September, which set out plans to scrap or amend all retained EU Laws by the end of the year, the 31st of December 2023. This includes a total of 570 British environmental laws, all of which are essential for the protection and conservation of nature in the UK.  

The law passed its third reading on the 18th of January by 297 votes to 238.

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An example of a species that will be harmed by the bill is the beloved Eurasian Otter (Lutra Lutra), whose UK population was on the brink of extinction following the mid-20th century as a result of habitat destruction and pollution. The introduction of EU legal protections in the 80s and 90s was a lifeline for the species, as they cover habitat regulations which effectively drives infrastructure away from their territories, water quality, sewage pollution, and the use of pesticides. Combined with conservation efforts, this saw the Eurasian otter and many of the UK’s most vulnerable wildlife recover. Scrapping so many environmental regulations in favour of corporate greed will reverse years of this progress. 

The protection of our wildlife is of huge cultural importance, as nature provides great opportunities for education, recreation, and inspiration for UK your constituents. Furthermore, population declines can have harmful knock-on effect on food webs and biodiversity. Otters for instance, are an important educational flagship species, and as top predators, they are needed to control the species on which they prey upon and thus create a balanced ecosystem. We are already one of the most nature-depleted countries in the globe and are on a course to fail the pledge to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030. This can be turned around; however, I feel that the retained EU Law Bill may be the final blow.

I am asking you to take the following steps to address my concerns within the next month:  

·         Speak up in Parliament against the bill.

·         Table a debate in Parliament on the bill.

·         Set up a meeting with the relevant Minister.

·         Publicise and campaign against the bill.

Please stand up for nature and stop the retained EU Law Bill in its tracks.