Government sees Second Reading of Environment Bill

The Government has seen the Second Reading of the Environment Bill, as it sets out how the country plans to protect and improve the natural environment.

The Bill is aiming to transform environmental governance and put environmental principles into law, establish a new independent Office for Environmental Protection to hold the government to account o the environment, and introduce legally binding targets to drive action.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said: “The Prime Minister is clear, and so am I. We will deliver the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth.”

“This transformative Bill is at the heart of our work. It will see us recycling more and wasting less, breathing cleaner air, planting trees, safeguarding forests, and supporting nature recovery as we work to tackle climate change and reach net zero emissions.”

“And this is just the start. 2020 is a massive year for our natural environment and the UK will take its place at the head of the world’s table when we host the COP 26 climate change conference in Glasgow, driving real change across the planet.”

The Bill will now go to Committee Stage, followed by Report Stage and Third Reading, before transferring to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.