Ministers urged to ‘think of the whales’ in biodiversity spending

Ministers have been urged to think of the whales and seals as they spend money on protecting vulnerable habitats around the world.

Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell said the UK Government “will think about all the mammals” following a commitment to spend £3 billion to safeguard global biodiversity.

Senior Conservative MP James Gray spoke of a recent visit he made to Antarctica with the Commons Environmental Audit Committee, and pressed the government to use the money to protect the southern continent.

The debate came after a beluga whale – a mammal typically found in Arctic waters – was spotted off the coast of Shetland earlier this month. It was a rare signing for an animal not usually seen in Scottish waters.

Gray, MP for North Wiltshire, told the Commons: “I very much welcome the extremely important work the government is doing in protecting vulnerable communities around the world.

“However, will he also confirm to me the £3bn the government has committed to saving nature will be used in some of the very vulnerable habitat sites and animals around the world, such as those we saw in a recent visit to Antarctica?

“Will he particularly think about whales, fur seals, and of course the emperor penguin?”

Mitchell replied: “I will think about all the mammals he has mentioned.

“But I can assure him that our commitment is to biodiversity and to nature, and we recognise the very great importance of the work that is being done in the Antarctic, and indeed the contribution that he makes to that.”

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy suggested the government has diminished

the UK’S reputation in tackling climate change.

He told the Commons: “From the floods to the fires, from melting ice sheets to ocean heat, the climate crisis is reaching a tipping point.

“Labour has a plan at home, doubling onshore wind, trebling solar, and ending new oil and gas licences in the North Sea; and Labour has a plan internationally, a clean power alliance of developed and developing countries to drive forward the transition.

“Isn’t the truth that the Government has no plan and has squandered Britain’s climate reputation to rage culture wars at home?”

Mitchell responded: “The reason why the government was able to reduce the size of electricity bills for hardworking families is precisely because we are meeting our targets and will meet our international commitments. Britain’s international targets and commitments are enshrined in law.

“Internationally we are committed – as he knows, and was set out to the House towards the end of last year – to spending £11.6bn on ensuring that we meet our climate targets and produce climate finance and in fact I would argue that the figure will be nearer £16bn by 2026.”