Ahead of the 2024 General Election, The Wildlife Trusts laid out five critical priorities for an incoming government. These five asks are nature’s challenge to government to meet the true scale of the climate and nature crises. But what did Labour promise to do for nature and, 100 days in, how have they been doing so far?

In June 2024 Environment Secretary Steve Reed unveiled Labour’s pre-election manifesto pledge called the ‘Countryside Protection Plan’ aimed at preserving Britain’s natural beauty and reversing environmental degradation. The plan includes:

• Creating nine new National River Walks,
• Planting three National Forests,
• Ensuring new housing developments incorporate green spaces.
• A new Community ‘Right to Buy’ for green spaces
• Accelerating tree planting with a dedicated taskforce
• Banning harmful pesticides to protect vital pollinators.

Labour’s environmental manifesto promises extend to promote regenerative farming, establishing a land-use framework for food security and nature recovery, and enhancing nature-rich habitats like wetlands and peat bogs. They also plan to set up a Flood Resilience Taskforce to build flood defenses and plant trees to mitigate storm damage.