Party conferences: What Labour and the Tories had to say

We recently attended both the Labour and the Conservative Party Conferences. Our Public Affairs team went to events, met with parliamentarians, and listened to speeches from MPs about their commitments to improving our state of nature.

While the environment featured heavily on both party's agendas – more so than in previous years – we now need the talk and promises to turn into action.

We spoke with MPs and other environmental NGOs about the climate and biodiversity crises, and the top issues we’re focusing on, such as Marine Unprotected Areas, sustainable fishing and chemical pollution.

We discussed with decision makers how important it is to recognise a healthy natural environment - both land and marine - as vital in supporting long-term economic growth and part of the solution to the climate crisis through ‘nature-based solutions’.

In conversations with Labour MPs, they agreed that nature doesn’t have to be seen as an additional cost or issue, but as a solution.

Although land-based environments are still coming out on top when compared to marine, it’s an improvement from a time when our ocean wasn’t even mentioned or considered.

We’ll continue to push hard and advocate for the marine environment to be recognised as equal, and to be rightly treated as such.

The Government’s new ‘Growth Plan’ extends through to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), which is responsible for our marine environment. We know the environment underpins all long-term economic growth and believe growth shouldn’t come at a cost of the environment.

We look forward to working with decision makers in all political parties across the UK. The climate and environmental crises are so urgent they go beyond one political party and beyond our own shores. We need all political parties, in all governments around the world to work together to deliver solutions and good environmental management.

The natural world is a limited resource and ecosystems cannot continue to both provide resources such as fish and clean up our waste without eventually breaking down due to human impact. Our ocean doesn’t have time to wait for governments to do the right thing. It needs action now.