Government must guard against using Brexit to undermine hard-won environmental gains – Sue Hayman

Sue
Hayman MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs, commenting on proposals for a new environmental
watchdog, said:

“We will have to wait to see whether
the proposed watchdog will have the independence, powers and funding it needs
to properly enforce environmental law after Brexit. The Government must now put
its warm words into action by supporting Labour’s environmental amendments to
the Withdrawal Bill next week.

“Securing the future of our environment and the natural world requires more
than just movement on governance and enforcement. Ensuring that environmental
standards and protections are properly protected after Brexit requires a series
of further changes to the Withdrawal Bill including the incorporation of the
precautionary and polluter pays principles into UK law.

“Labour will be urging the Government to go further next week and take
additional steps to guard against the desire of some in the Tory party to use
Brexit as an opportunity to undermine hard-won environmental gains”.