Natural Environment in England: Office for Environmental Protection Report 2024-25
(1 day, 14 hours ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mary Creagh)
The Office for Environmental Protection has today published its latest report on the Government’s progress in improving the natural environment and a briefing note on the revised environmental improvement plan. The OEP plays an important role in monitoring and reporting progress towards goals in the environmental improvement plan and the 30x30 targets. The Government welcome the OEP’s latest report and will consider the assessment carefully and respond to the recommendations in the summer.
Following a review launched in July 2024, the Government published a revised environmental improvement plan on 1 December 2025. We welcome the OEP’s advice in informing the review. Our revised EIP sets out this Government’s steadfast commitment to the ambitious, statutory Environment Act 2021 targets. It is our road map to improve the natural environment and people’s enjoyment of it. It ensures that nature’s recovery is a key priority, fundamental to the Government’s approach to growth.
Our EIP goes further than the previous plan. We have a clear plan and process, with ambitious but achievable goals and targets. We know the scale of the challenge. We are also matching our ambition with action.
We are reforming the sustainable farming incentive to make it simpler and fairer, and to enable as many farmers as possible to benefit and to help nature thrive. This will help us meet our ambitious EIP targets—including to double the number of farms delivering for wildlife.
Last year marked the highest rate of tree planting in 20 years—over 10 million trees—and we have started planning two of three new national forests.
The Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 is already transforming the water sector for good, with swifter penalties enabled for environmental offences and new pollution reporting requirements. Alongside this, over the next five years, £104 million in private investment will upgrade our water infrastructure and cut pollution.
We are acting decisively to improve air quality—tackling pollution at its source to restore nature while supporting communities to breathe cleaner air.
By advancing our circular economy, we are further reducing environmental harm, turning waste into opportunity and creating green jobs across the country. Industry estimates that our waste reforms will underpin £10 billion of investment in new recycling facilities. Simpler recycling has now come into effect for all workplaces with 10 or more full-time equivalent employees in England, requiring workplaces to separately recycle dry mixed recycling, paper and card, and food waste. We formed a circular economy taskforce, comprising members from industry, academia and civil society across the UK which has undertaken extensive engagement to ensure that the circular transition reflects the needs and insights of all involved.
By recognising the pride, enjoyment and wellbeing that people across the country take in nature, we are boosting opportunities to access the outdoors—including launching the first of nine new national river walks on Boxing day, with the Mersey valley way.
The EIP brings such actions together and explains how they support each of our missions. It is a whole-of-Government plan.
It is only by the Government working hand-in-hand with individuals, communities, businesses, farmers, public and third sector organisations that we will deliver the EIP and the Environment Act targets. Collective action is essential.
The Government remain committed to improving the natural environment and will continue to work with the OEP to ensure delivery against our environmental objectives.
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UK-Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council 2025
(1 day, 14 hours ago)
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The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Stephen Doughty)
The 13th UK-overseas territories joint ministerial council was held from 24 to 27 November 2025 in London. The council was attended by elected leaders and representatives from Anguilla, Ascension, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, the Pitcairn Islands, St Helena, the sovereign base areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Tristan da Cunha and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The overseas territories make invaluable contributions to our British family. The UK has a responsibility to defend the OTs, to ensure security and good governance of the overseas territories and their peoples.
The JMC is the highest forum for political dialogue and consultation among the elected leaders and representatives of the overseas territories and UK Ministers. We met under the strapline of “Protect, Grow, Sustain—Together”. This reflects the UK’s desire to build closer relationships, based on mutual respect and inclusion, and to transform the UK’s relationship with the overseas territories for us to deliver greater security, prosperity and sustainability.
In my capacity as Minister for the overseas territories, I chaired the council. During the council, the Foreign Secretary met elected leaders to discuss UK and overseas territories’ priorities. Other UK ministerial colleagues who participated in the discussions included: the right hon. Lord Hanson of Flint, Minister of State at the Home Office; the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Coventry East (Mary Creagh); the Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds North West (Katie White); my hon. and learned Friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury; Lord Coaker, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence; and the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, my hon. Friend the Member for Rother Valley (Jake Richards). The UK Special Representative for Nature Ruth Davis OBE, the UK Commonwealth envoy, and representatives from UK Export Finance, the National Cyber Security Centre, the Alan Turing Institute, Health Innovation Kent, Surrey, and Sussex, the Glasgow 2026 Organising Company, AtkinsRéalis and British Expertise International also participated in discussions.
We were deeply honoured by His Majesty the King hosting a reception at Buckingham Palace for those attending the joint ministerial council. The Commons Speaker hosted a dinner for elected leaders and representatives in Parliament.
The UK Government and the elected leaders and representatives of the overseas territories reaffirmed our support for the five principles I set out last year to guide the UK’s relationship with the elected Governments of the overseas territories: devolution and democratic autonomy for the overseas territories; listening to the overseas territories, following the principle of “nothing about you without you”; partnership with the overseas territories based on mutual respect and inclusion—rights come with responsibilities; good governance and ensuring proper democratic accountability and regulation; and defending the overseas territories’ security, autonomy and rights, including the right of self-determination.
The council agreed priorities and set out commitments and areas for joint work in the year ahead. The elected leaders and representatives of the overseas territories and I agreed to develop partnership compacts between the UK and any territory that wishes to join. Partnership compacts are intended to provide tailored, practical frameworks for advancing shared priorities, and to signal a renewed commitment to partnership. At the council we agreed the basis upon which to develop the partnership compacts in a collaborative manner. We agreed that the 2012 overseas territories White Paper remained the component foundation of our partnership as complemented by recent statements and agreements. I confirmed our intention to develop a UK Government charter to strengthen commitments from our side on how the UK Government engage with the overseas territories.
The key themes of discussion at this year’s council were: continuing the reset of the relationship between the UK and the overseas territories; security and irregular migration; economic growth and diversification; tackling illicit finance; AI and innovation in healthcare; cyber-security; nature, climate and the environment; official development assistance; and sport and the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth games. We also discussed a range of other issues. The discussions were open and forward-looking, demonstrating a mutual commitment to strengthening the partnership.
We discussed the crucial work of overseas territories in managing unique and globally significant environments and ecosystems, as stewards of 94% of Britain's unique biodiversity, and we reflected on the outcomes of COP30. With the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Coventry East (Mary Creagh) and Dr Gemma Harper OBE, Chief Executive of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, we launched the UK overseas territories biodiversity strategy—the UK and the overseas territories united for nature.
We reviewed the complex security and irregular migration threats facing the overseas territories. The UK is committed to collaborating proactively with all territories to fulfil our duty to defend the people of the overseas territories and strengthen security and justice across the UK family. Together with the elected leaders and representatives of the overseas territories, we emphasised that these serious challenges, including from serious and organised crime, require sustainable solutions through comprehensive, multi-agency approaches—including co-ordination, defence, operational support, reform across security and criminal justice sectors, regional co-operation and targeted action addressing underlying social issues.
According to Office for National Statistics data, the UK’s trading relationship with its overseas territories would place them collectively among the UK’s top 25 trading partners. We are committed to strengthening this partnership and supporting practical steps to unlock further growth. The JMC included sessions with UK Export Finance and a business engagement and networking event with UK companies delivered in partnership with British Expertise International. We will continue to build on such initiatives to help deliver mutual prosperity for peoples in the UK and overseas territories.
The UK and overseas territories reaffirmed our joint commitment to tackling illicit finance, by upholding and continuing to strive for the highest international financial standards. I noted the importance of the overseas territories delivering on previous commitments, including at the last joint ministerial council, to expand access to their registers of beneficial ownership. We welcomed the launch of St Helena’s publicly accessible register of beneficial ownership, and the commitment by the Falkland Islands to implement their register next summer. We welcome the launch of legitimate interest access registers of beneficial ownership in the Cayman Islands—and their commitment to make further improvements to user access—and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The UK underlined the urgency of delivering progress in that constructive endeavour with territories that have yet to satisfy our expectations on access and transparency on these issues. We agreed to hold further technical discussions and I will chair a discussion with elected leaders at a ministerial illicit finance dialogue in the first quarter of 2026. The UK reiterated its ultimate expectation of fully public registers of beneficial ownership in the overseas territories, and we will continue to pursue that objective in future discussions.
We welcomed the work of overseas territories in sanctions implementation and enforcement and reiterated our offer to work with overseas territories to enhance this area of work. A range of other detailed discussions were also held bilaterally on specific issues affecting the overseas territories related to constitutions, public services, infrastructure and relations with neighbours and the UK.
We agreed a joint communiqué, which was issued following the conclusion of the council and published on the gov.uk website.
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UK Small Island Developing States Strategy
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Chris Elmore)
I wish to update the House on the Government’s decision to publish a refreshed UK-SIDS strategy for 2026-2030. This strategy sets out the major strands of UK support to SIDS climate and economic resilience, based on partnership.
Small island developing states are essential UK partners on global issues such as climate change, economic growth, combating crime and energy security. SIDS represent 20% of the UN family, steward vast ocean territories through their exclusive economic zones, and are hotspots for biodiversity globally. The UK shares deep connections with many SIDS, particularly through the Commonwealth, and we recognise their special circumstances, including their vulnerability to extreme weather events and global economic shocks.
Many SIDS have made progress towards achieving sustainable development, yet their inherent vulnerabilities remain. Global geopolitical competition, a changing landscape on development, and increasing climate and nature challenges means the risks are rising. We need a more tailored approach that reflects SIDS’ special circumstances and our new approach to modern partnerships. At the fourth international financing for development conference in Seville in July 2025, the international community agreed that a new chapter is needed for development and sustainable growth. We are now looking to build on this consensus, including the “Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS” from 2024.
The UK-SIDS strategy builds on these foundations and will help us to support SIDS’ economic and climate resilience. We will focus activity across three areas:
Partner—We will partner with SIDS to build resilience and support sustainable development through climate adaptation, disaster risk finance, aid effectiveness, governance and human rights.
Reform—The UK will drive reform in the international finance system to increase SIDS’ access to climate finance, tackle unsustainable debt and mobilise private sector resources. We will amplify SIDS’ voices to ensure that international systems better take account of SIDS’ special circumstances and capacities.
Grow—We will support SIDS as they protect nature and the ocean and promote their blue economies. We will work with SIDS to enable resilient, inclusive economic growth and diversification.
In delivering the strategy, we will support the UK’s wider international objectives, support multilateralism and also benefit from the ideas and energies that SIDS themselves bring to international debates on development, sustainable growth, biodiversity, climate change and a reformed international system. Ultimately, our strategy is about empowering people and countries to direct their own future and reduce their reliance on aid. A responsive, modern partnership with SIDS includes lending our voice to advocate for issues important to SIDS internationally. At the same time, we will ensure that our partnership with SIDS and other actors will further UK values and interests, stand up for freedom around the world and support SIDS to plan for their own sustained progress and resilience.
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