New pledges are easy. Action isn’t

TWO ANNOUNCEMENTS last week – one by Michael Gove and the other by Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey. Coffey says that in the future everyone will live within a 15-minute walk of a green space. How politicians love a pious pledge, something they can promise to “deliver” but which everybody will have forgotten about within minutes.

Coffey says that nature will be at the heart of every government decision from now on. Rivers, coastline and hedges will be restored to their paradisiacal glory thanks to her Environmental Improvement Plan.there will be a hedgehog for every garden and red squirrels frolicking in the trees (though not the little grey blighters obviously). Britain will be transformed into the Garden of Eden. Not overnight you understand. But in the next quarter of a century... or thereabouts. So you will still find yourself swimming through sewage next summer.

The 15-minute pledge was picked up by all the news reports. Strange, because figures from 2018 show that most Brits already live no more than 259m from a green space. I could walk 259m in less than a quarter of an hour even if I was scrolling on my phone and wearing unsuitable shoes.

And it’s not the distance that matters, so much as whether you have to make your way down to ground level in a dodgy lift and whether there are hypodermic needles and styrofoam burger boxes littering the green space when you get there.

And if there are people who live more than 15 minutes from a green space, will they be forcibly moved in some draconian re-housing initiative? The pledge is nothing but a vacuous soundbite. Unfunded, inexplicable and not really needed at all. That’s why Michael Gove’s recent announcement on the cladding scandal was so unusual.

In the wake of the Grenfell fire in June 2017, millions of leaseholders were left with unsellable properties because of the associated fire risk. Last week Gove gave developers a six-week deadline to sign a contract to commit to fixing the problems.those who fail to comply will be blocked from “carrying out major development”. Six weeks, or else! Respect, Govey.

Most politicians push things about like a small child nudges food around a plate. Inquiries, debates, national conversations, and all the other time-wasting strategies.

It may all backfire horribly on Gove and he will be held to account as is proper. But at least he’s showing some gumption. Does anyone imagine that Coffey will be troubled by the inevitable shortfall of her environment plan in 25 years’ time? I doubt it.

EVA GREEN is suing the producers over the collapse of a film in which she was starring and for which she hasn’t been paid. There has been name-calling. “It’s my Frenchness coming out sometimes,” she explained. And yes, I could forgive her because she is beautiful, haughty and very French. Except that she described the film crew as “s **** y peasants from Hampshire”. Hold it right there, missy! I’m from Hampshire. I take exception to that. First rule of journalism – an editor once told me – never make casually disparaging remarks about anywhere because it will be someone’s home. And they’ll be livid.

GUMPTION: Michael Gove