Brexit won’t see lower standards, promises May

Prime Minister unveils her Government’s long-term plan to protect the environment

Brexit will not lead to a lowering of environmental standards in the UK, Prime Minister Theresa May has promised.

The vow came as Mrs May unveiled the Government’s long-term plan for the environment, which sets out plans to “make ours the first generation to leave the natural environment in a better state that we found it”.

Rejecting as a “false choice” the suggestion that Britain must choose between economic growth or environmental protection, Mrs May staked her party’s claim for the green mantle.

She promised to put the natural world “centre stage” in her Government’s agenda and declared: “Conservatism and conservation are natural allies.”

The plan comes as part of a concerted drive by Conservatives to demonstrate their concern for green issues.

Their stance on issues such as fox hunting and the ivory trade was blamed for losing the votes of young people inspired with a renewed interest in the natural world by programmes like Sir David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II.

The environment scheme includes plans to:

Eliminate avoidable plastic waste within 25 years, including by encouraging supermarkets to introduce “plastic-free” aisles;

Extend the 5p charge for plastic carrier bags to all retailers in England, closing the Government’s loophole excluding smaller shops;

Consider taxes and charges on single-use items such as takeaway containers;

Direct aid spending towards helping developing nations reduce plastic use;

Support the transition to almost all cars and vans producing zero carbon emissions by 2050;

Create a new Northern Forest stretching from Cheshire to Lancashire and Yorkshire.

Opponents of Brexit have warned that EU environmental regulations could be scaled back after withdrawal, as ministers seek to drive up business competitiveness and build trade links with parts of the world with lower standards.

But speaking at a nature reserve in south-west London, Mrs May insisted: “Brexit will not mean a lowering of environmental standards.

“We will set out our plans for a new, world-leading independent statutory body to hold government to account and give the environment a voice. And our work will be underpinned by a strong set of environmental principles.”

Her Government “will not hesitate” to intervene to ensure high standards, she promised.

Picture: PA. Prime Minister Theresa May stands with schoolchildren inside a bird hide at the London Wetland Centre in South West London.