Over the 2019–24 Parliament, the bill was presented twice by (the then
Green MP)
Caroline Lucas. In the 2019–2021 session, the first reading of the bill (Bill 172) took place on 2 September 2020, and it did not progress further. In the 2021–22 session, the first reading of the bill (Bill 61) took place on 21 June 2021. Its second reading was postponed and rescheduled for 6 May 2022, and it did not progress further. In the 2022–23 session, the bill (HL Bill 13) was introduced in the
House of Lords by
Lord Redesdale (then, Lib Dem) via the private members' bill ballot route. Its first reading was on 21 May 2022, second reading was on 15 July 2022, committee stage was on 18 November 2022, report stage was on 25 January 2023, and third reading was on 21 April 2023. After passing the Lords,
Wera Hobhouse (Lib Dem) 'carried over' the bill to the Commons, and it did not progress further.,
Olivia Blake,
Daniel Zeichner,
Ed Miliband,
Baroness Blake,
Jim McMahon and
Kerry McCarthy. In the same 2022–23 session, the bill (Bill 304) was introduced in the Commons by
Olivia Blake (Labour) via a
ten minute rule motion on 10 May 2023, when the
Labour Party offered their support for its "ambition and objectives". In the 2023–24 session, the bill (Bill 192) was presented by
Alex Sobel (
Labour/Co-op) on 21 March 2024. Its second reading was scheduled for 17 May 2024, and it did not progress further. The Conservative Government did not offer its support for the bill over 2019–2024. In the current session of the 2024–29 Parliament,
Roz Savage (Lib Dem) introduced the bill (Bill 14) on 16 October 2024 having been drawn third in the private members' bill ballot. Unlike earlier attempts to advance the proposed legislation, Savage was given priority time on a sitting Friday. Its
second reading took place on 24 January 2025—and after a division in the Commons—the bill was adjourned until 11 July 2025, when it was again rescheduled for 29 May 2026. The Labour Government has not offered its support for the bill. On 24 January, the
Minister for Nature,
Mary Creagh, assured supporting MPs—though the Government would not allow the bill to progress—that next steps would include "binding commitments" to advance the bill's objectives. Following the adjournment,
the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero,
Ed Miliband, issued via a video on the social media network,
X, promising to set to work on the "spirit and substance" of the bill—"including for legislation"—in order to "make a meaningful difference" for climate and nature. He updated MPs on progress in the first annual
State of Climate and Nature statement on 14 July. It is not clear if the bill will return in the next (as yet unscheduled) second session of the 2024–2029 Parliament. A motion tabled by 104 MPs in May 2025—including
Daisy Cooper (Lib Dem),
Carla Denyer (Green),
Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru) and
Claire Hanna (SDLP)—is urging the Government to allocate parliamentary time for further debate to ensure the bill's "critical" climate and nature targets are legally addressed.
2019–2024 Parliament 2019–2021 session Bill 172 In the 2019–2021 session,
Caroline Lucas presented the bill on 2 September 2020. It received its first reading the same day. Its scheduled second reading of 12 March 2021 did not take place. 11 MPs co-sponsored the bill:
Alan Brown (SNP),
Claire Hanna (SDLP),
Wera Hobhouse (Lib Dem),
Clive Lewis (Labour),
Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru),
Stephen Farry (Alliance),
Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru),
Tommy Sheppard (SNP),
Alex Sobel (Labour/Co-op),
Zarah Sultana (Labour) and
Nadia Whittome (Labour). Lucas also tabled a corresponding, cross party
early day motion—EDM 832—about the bill on 2 September 2020. It was supported by 92 MPs (including
Jim Shannon,
DUP) and called on the Conservative Government to support the bill, noting its enactment would: Ensure that the UK plays its fair and proper role in limiting global temperatures to 1.5°C by taking account of the UK's entire
carbon footprint, including
consumption emissions released overseas as a result of goods manufactured abroad for use in the UK, [and] that it would [also] actively improve the natural world by protecting and restoring the UK's ecosystems, and end the damage to nature caused by
supply chains. Lucas led a debate on the UK's response to the climate and ecological emergency on 9 February 2021. She called for immediate and ambitious action, two years on from Parliament's declaration of an
environment and climate emergency on 1 May 2019. In it, she highlighted that escalating global crises—
record heat,
wildfires, melting
ice caps, and "one million species facing
extinction"—emphasised the need for UK leadership ahead of
COP26 and
COP15. She said that: The scale and ramifications of the emergency require us to set aside party differences, and reach for the new vision of human prosperity that we know is possible. With sufficient political will, we can cooperate to ensure we all thrive within the
limits of our planet—but that is not going to happen without new legislation that gives us a framework commensurate with the science and with reality. The [bill] is that new legislation. It brings the future into the present—and our responsibility to the future into the present, too. [All MPs should] recognise that the
climate-nature crisis is bigger than any one political ideology, [and work together] on legislation that could be a new and desperately needed global first. Lucas also criticised the UK's "inconsistent" domestic climate policies—arguing that the
Climate Change Act is "out of date" as scientists had warned about rising emissions in light of the shrinking
global carbon budget. She stressed nature's "absence" from climate strategies, despite the UK's "severe"
biodiversity loss—and called for citizen engagement via
assemblies, as seen in the work of
Climate Assembly UK. Lucas also advocated updating UK legislation to reflect science, equity, and public involvement for a
just transition, warning of
"systemic collapse" without it. Supporting MPs echoed her urgency, while the then Conservative Minister—
Anne-Marie Trevelyan—defended the UK's net zero progress and
Ten Point Plan, promising "global leadership". Other MPs pressed the Conservative Government to support the bill, including
David Linden (SNP) and
Rachael Maskell (Labour). Energy Ministers' responses asserted that the Government was aiming for
net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, as set in 2019, and that as the "first major economy to legislate in this way"—as the then Energy Minister,
Kwasi Kwarteng, said on 8 October 2021—the UK was a "global leader".
Environment Bill: proposed amendments In the 2019–2021 session, supportive MPs also focussed on securing amendments to the Conservative Government's
Environment Bill in order to reflect proposals in the bill. In a cross party initiative led by
Lloyd Russell-Moyle and
Daniel Zeichner (then) of Labour's Shadow EFRA Team, two amendments proposed at committee stage on 26 November 2020, but were not successful. The first, new clause 28, set out new statutory environmental objectives and commitments for the
Secretary of State and for the new
Office for Environmental Protection (which was established under provisions in the
Environment Act). New clause 29 would have required the Secretary of State to report to Parliament on the adequacy of environmental legislation and policy for meeting the climate and ecology challenges faced by the UK and the world.
Zeichner said that:We have taken a number of these ideas from the [bill], which [Labour] believes is right to place emphasis on the importance of expanding and enhancing
natural ecosystems and
agroecosystems to safeguard their capacity as
carbon sinks, as well as on the need to restore biodiverse habits and their soils. Out there, in the world, there is an appetite for this more ambitious approach. A further amendment was tabled at
report stage, new clause 9, which was the same as new clause 28 during committee. It was debated on 26 January 2021 and referred to by several MPs, including
Lucas,
Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru) and
Debbie Abrahams (Labour)—but was not pushed to a division. Taking inspiration from the bill,
Lord Teverson (Lib Dem) proposed defining the purpose of the Environment Bill as addressing "the biodiversity and climate emergency" and requiring "the Prime Minister [to] declare that there is a
biodiversity and climate emergency, domestically and globally". The clause was added to the Environment Bill by Peers during its passage through the Lords, and during 'ping pong' between the Houses (the then
Climate Change Committee chair)
Lord Deben said that refusing to accept it would "send the wrong signal", at a time when "we should be united in sending the right signals, so that in all discussions people will know precisely where Britain stands". Though Peers insisted on the clause, it was ultimately removed by MPs, and the then Minister for Nature,
Rebecca Pow, said that:Actions are what are necessary to combat the climate and biodiversity emergency—not legal declarations".
2021–2022 session: Bill 61 In the 2021–2022 session,
Caroline Lucas tabled an amendment to the 2021
Queen's Speech of 12 May 2021, regretting insufficient measures in that speech to address the climate and ecological emergency. It attracted support of 42 Labour, SNP, Lib Dem, SDLP and Plaid Cymru MPs, and urged the Conservative Government to make time for the bill to be debated and passed into law.
Lucas presented the bill for a second time in the Commons on 21 June 2021 with 11 co-sponsors:
Alan Brown (SNP),
Ed Davey (Lib Dem),
Stephen Farry (Alliance),
Barry Gardiner (Labour),
Claire Hanna (SDLP),
Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru),
Clive Lewis (Labour),
Brendan O'Hara (SNP),
Sarah Olney (Lib Dem),
Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru) and
Alex Sobel (Labour/Co-op). The bill was scheduled for a second reading debate on four occasions—10 September 2021, 29 October 2021, 10 December 2021 and 6 May 2022. It was not allocated time to proceed. Supportive Parliamentarians urged the Conservative Government to support the bill during other debates and questions, including
Lucas,
Saville-Roberts,
Hanna,
Farry,
Beth Winter (Labour),
Lord Oates (Lib Dem),
Mary Kelly Foy (Labour),
Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour),
Baroness Bennett (Green) and
Nadia Whittome (Labour). The Government did offer its support, or make time for the bill—which was regretted by MPs, including
Farry—who said:Despite the rhetorical commitment to the delivery of
net zero by 2050, the Government do not have the policies and programmes in place to achieve that. As a co-signatory of the [bill], I am deeply disappointed that the Government have chosen not to advance such legislation. A bill that establishes a statutory framework for the bold, joined up change that is necessary to fulfil the UK's international
climate responsibilities—and to facilitate transition to a
zero carbon economy—is greatly needed.
2022–2023 session HL Bill 13 In the 2022–2023 session, the bill was introduced in the
House of Lords by
Lord Redesdale (then, Lib Dem), who was drawn 8 of 25 in the private members' bill ballot. Its first reading took place on 25 May 2022 and its second reading was on 15 July 2022. At its second reading, Peers from across the House spoke in favour, including
Baroness Hooper (Conservative),
Baroness Boycott and
Lord Green (
Crossbenchers), the
Lord Bishop of St Albans,
Baroness Bennett (Green) and
Lord Teverson (Lib Dem). Reflecting cross party support for stronger action, Peers stressed the "interconnected climate and ecological crises"—though some raised concerns about
methane targets and
food security. During the debate, Labour's Frontbench spokesperson,
Baroness Blake, said:Given the [Conservative] Government's stated ambition ahead of the
COP15 biodiversity summit to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030—a target reflected in this bill—what plans does the Government have, before the
Montreal summit, to align domestic policy with international ambition? Surely the Government can do better than simply halting nature's decline? Could the Minister explain why it is seemingly good enough to call on other nations to restore nature while, at home, we are satisfied with managing its decline?At committee stage on 18 November 2022, Redesdale amended the bill to focus on its nature objectives in light of the
Global Biodiversity Framework to be agreed at
COP15—for the Parties, including the UK—to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030. The revised Ecology Bill proposed a duty on the
Secretary of State to reverse the UK's contribution to nature degradation by 2030—boosting
species, habitats and ecosystem health against a 2020 baseline—in order to align with Britain's
UN biodiversity commitments. Proposing his amendments, Redesdale emphasised the UK's dire nature depletion—i.e. that 40% of species have declined since 1970, and that 600 million birds have been 'lost' in Europe over 40 years—calling for more ambitious nature recovery action.
Lord Randall (Conservative) said that debates about conservation policy are often "talking about stopping the loss, but we should be increasing our biodiversity at the same time".
Lord Green (Crossbench) reminded Peers that, in the UK, "just over half our natural biodiversity is still intact, placing us last in the
G7—and in the bottom 10% worldwide—because so much of our land has been given over to marginal agriculture or
monoculture conifer plantations". Labour's spokesperson,
Baroness Blake, said on behalf of
HM Opposition that:The
Labour Party [had] committed to putting the environment and climate at the heart of its agenda and delivering
nature-positive action—which halts and reverses the
loss of biodiversity by 2030—for the benefit of all people on the planet, as is the ask of [the bill]. That element of reversing will make the real difference between the [Conservative] Government's position and what is necessary. The
Environment Act commits to halt species decline, but fails to reverse decline and does not tackle broader biodiversity loss.The Conservative Minister,
Lord Callanan, acknowledged that nature is in decline around the world, but resisted the proposed reforms, citing the
Environment Act's species abundance target as "a good proxy for the health of the wider
ecosystem". The Ecology Bill passed through its remaining Lords stages successfully, and was 'handed over' to
Wera Hobhouse (Lib Dem) in the Commons for its first reading on 24 April 2023. It was not given time to progress further, but campaigners welcomed that the
Labour Party had offered its support for the bill as it passed through the
Upper House.
Bill 304 In the same session,
Olivia Blake (Labour) introduced the bill in the Commons on 10 May 2023. As a
ten minute rule bill, and unlike earlier presentations, Blake delivered a speech at its first (and last) reading. No MP spoke for a further ten minutes to oppose the bill, and it was not objected to. A second reading date of 24 November 2023 was set. The bill did not make progress. Backed by MPs from all main parties, its co-sponsors were
Derek Thomas (Conservative),
Peter Bottomley (Conservative),
Alan Brown (SNP),
Brendan O'Hara (SNP),
Ed Davey (Lib Dem),
Wera Hobhouse (Lib Dem),
Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru),
Colum Eastwood (SDLP),
Caroline Lucas (Green),
Stephen Farry (Alliance) and
Geraint Davies (Independent). In her speech, Blake argued that the intertwined climate and nature crises demanded urgent, integrated action—and that the Conservative policies "fell short". She argued that aligning with science and international commitments—like the
1.5°C target and
COP15 obligations—is "critical" for survival. She highlighted immediate impacts in the
Global South and increasingly in the UK, and said: As the
Member for Newport West Ruth Jones] said so well during a debate on the [bill's] principles last November:
"We know that climate action must be nature-positive action and that we must halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity by 2030 for the benefit of all people and the planet". This bill brings that vital issue to the fore. I am delighted that so many members of local councils, including [now, former bill supporter]
Georgia Gould, and local mayors, including the
Mayor of London, have recognised that and are backing the bill. It is time that we got the action we need from the [Conservative] Government to ensure that we can survive.Blake also set out nature's role as a
climate mitigator, with deteriorating
carbon sinks—like
peatlands and
woodlands—signalling a need for equal focus on emissions cuts and habitat restoration. She warned that $44 trillion in global output—and 300 million people—are at risk from nature's decline, alongside health threats from
pollinator loss. Blake also criticised the "absence" of a concrete plan to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, risking "irreversible" ecological
tipping points, and advocated for meaningful public involvement via
citizens' assemblies, saying:The double headed climate and nature crisis is affecting people's lives now, especially in the
Global South, but increasingly in the UK. Just think of the
climate change triggered heatwaves in India and Pakistan, the floods we have seen worldwide and, of course, the
floods and
heatwaves of recent years in the UK. There is no room for complacency, and no time to waste.When Blake introduced the bill, Labour's Frontbench ESNZ and EFRA Teams—including (the then Shadow Secretaries of State)
Ed Miliband and
Jim McMahon—announced the Labour Party's support for the "ambition and objectives" for her bill. Blake commented that this was an "important step on the way to getting a full commitment from the Labour Party to take up [the bill] so that it becomes official Labour policy". At the
2023 Labour conference, Blake chaired a Zero Hour fringe event on 8 October with (then Shadow Ministers)
Ruth Jones and
Kerry McCarthy. Jones confirmed Labour's commitment to ensure that nature's destruction is not only halted, but "firmly in reverse by 2030". Labour's ambition to "align" their energy policies to the UK's
1.5°C obligations under the
Paris Agreement was also confirmed by
McCarthy at the event.
2023–2024 session: Bill 192 In the 2023–2024 session,
Alex Sobel (
Labour/Co-op) tabled an amendment to
Charles III's first
King's Speech, regretting the lack of the bill. The amendment was supported by 42 MPs from across the Green, Lib Dem, Plaid Cymru, SDLP, Alliance and Labour parties—including
George Howarth (Labour). In the same session,
Sobel presented the bill on 21 March 2024. Its co-sponsors were
Caroline Lucas (Green),
Ed Davey (Lib Dem),
Colum Eastwood (SDLP)
Brendan O'Hara (SNP),
Olivia Blake (Labour),
Peter Bottomley (Conservative),
Daisy Cooper (Lib Dem),
Clive Lewis (Labour),
Stephen Farry (Alliance),
Alison Thewliss (SNP) and
Derek Thomas (Conservative). Writing in the
Big Issue, Sobel said:It's clear that we urgently need a new plan. One that brings people from different walks of life together—one that locks our international commitments in law—and one that involves citizens in the
just transition we need to put us on the path to a
zero carbon, nature rich future. A future of
affordable, clean, home grown energy and greater
food security. A future of flourishing wildlife. A future of cleaner air, green jobs and more prosperous communities. I'm proud to sponsor [the] bill that would bring this about.
2024–2029 Parliament First reading In the first session of the 2024–2029 Parliament,
Roz Savage (Lib Dem) introduced the bill (Bill 14) on 16 October 2024. Savage was drawn third in the 2024 private members' bill ballot and, unlike earlier presentations of the bill, was offered priority parliamentary time for the bill to progress. The bill's co-sponsors were
Carla Denyer (Green),
Clive Lewis (Labour),
Simon Opher (Labour),
Nadia Whittome (Labour),
Olivia Blake (Labour),
Alex Sobel (Labour/Co-op),
Roger Gale (Conservative),
Simon Hoare (Conservative),
Pippa Heylings (Lib Dem),
Kirsty Blackman (SNP) and
Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru).
Second reading Its second reading took place on 24 January 2025, where MPs from across the parties largely spoke in favour, although some Conservatives did not and—unusually for a sitting Friday—the debate was interrupted for a defence statement. During the debate, Savage emphasised the urgency of tackling the climate-nature crisis, citing
worsening environmental standards in the UK across the world. Labour, Conservative, Lib Dem and Green MPs also contributed, highlighting local impacts, like flooding in
Morecambe and species loss in
Cannock Chase. Savage also said: Taking bold action on climate and nature is the best way for the Starmer ministry|[Labour] Government to demonstrate true global leadership—and do what is right—knowing that, in the long run, the cost of inaction is far, far greater than the cost of action. Are we willing today to do what is required in the long term, rather than what is expedient in the short term? Are we willing to do not what is politically possible, but what is scientifically necessary to ensure a future for our planet? The choice is ours, and the time is now. Let us be the generation who chose to save our natural world, not the generation who stood by and watched it die. On the connections between climate, nature and the economic cost, (Labour co-sponsor)
Clive Lewis highlighted that "[we] cannot have growth on a dead planet"—whilst (Conservative co-sponsor)
Simon Hoare added:If not now, when? I do not believe that we can afford not to do this. Failure to do so would be the
longest suicide note in history for our species. 7 MPs voted against and 120 Labour MPs voted in favour of adjourning the debate, including 13 Labour supporters of the bill (
Adam Thompson,
Andrew Cooper,
Anna Dixon,
Fleur Anderson,
Ian Murray,
John Whitby,
Josh Newbury,
Lee Pitcher,
Naushabah Khan,
Phil Brickell,
Rachel Hopkins,
Tris Osborne and 2021–2022 co-sponsor,
Barry Gardiner). Lib Dem MPs and certain Labour MPs abstained.
Government whip The Government did not offer MPs a
free vote on the bill. News reports at the time outlined that
backbench Labour MPs were whipped to, if necessary, oppose the bill—or otherwise to talk it out. Private members' bills are not usually subject to a Government position, and the
Government Whips' decision was opposed by campaigners and some MPs.
Barry Gardiner, for example, had previously called a
Johnson Government whip on his Employment and Trade Union Rights Bill "cowardly" said, at his bill's second reading on 22 October 2021, that:It is remarkable that the [Conservative] Government have imposed a
three line whip against [my private member's bill]. Why? In politics, it is rare to find something that absolutely everyone agrees on. So why are the Government determined to block [my] bill?Alongside Gardiner's 'fire and rehire bill' being blocked, campaigners also cited the
Thatcher Government whip on
Richard Shepherd's Protection of Official Information Bill. At Shepard's second reading on 15 January 1988, MPs called the imposition of the whip "misconceived, authoritarian, and a sorry display of
Executive arrogance" and "an utter disgrace [which] ought to [have been] rejected decisively". During that debate, former Conservative Prime Minister
Edward Heath said:By decreeing a whip, the Government are challenging the whole basis of
private members' time. This is the first occasion that anyone can recall, or find in history, on which a
whip of this kind has been issued. If we allow this to pass today, it will be cited in future by the Government as a satisfactory precedent for imposing whips on private members' legislation. That is entirely unacceptable.During the 24 January 2025 debate, known private members' bill opponent
Christopher Chope (Conservative) asked:Is it true that the [Labour] Government are intent on kicking the [Climate and Nature Bill] into the long grass because they do not want to be seen to be opposing it, yet they do not really support it?The MPs who voted against the motion to adjourn the Climate and Nature Bill were
Chope,
Shockat Adam (Independent),
Siân Berry (Green),
Carla Denyer (Green),
Rosie Duffield (Independent),
Iqbal Mohamed (Independent) and
Adrian Ramsay (Green).
Ellie Chowns (Green) and
Jeremy Corbyn (Independent) acted as tellers. During the second reading debate, Denyer said that:In the second reading of the
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, we heard powerful arguments about how it could be improved, but MPs voted for it to progress because there was an agreement that it warranted further scrutiny. The same applies with [this bill], [which] has been going for four years, and has had cross party support throughout. We [should have got] the bill to
committee stage.
Adjournment reactions Following the
adjourned second reading of the bill, some MPs, media outlets, campaigners, and members of the public expressed their disappointment in the decision not to push the bill to a substantive vote; including the
National Education Union,
British Ecological Society and
PCS Workers for Climate Justice. Government whips—in seeking to avoid a backbench rebellion, and a potential, embarrassing defeat—instead committed to further engagement between Ministers, Labour MPs and Savage on the intended outcomes of the bill.
Zero Hour expressed its disappointment that the Labour Government did not offer a free vote so that all MPs, including the 192 supporting MPs, could
vote with their conscience. Some campaigners praised the efforts of Savage in securing "assurances" from
Creagh that next steps will include "binding commitments" to advance the bill's objectives—and welcomed
Ed Miliband's promise to "set to work" on the bill’s objectives, "including for legislation", so that "[we] can make a meaningful difference for climate and nature".
Government response As the Labour Government did not allow the bill to progress to
committee stage, after the 24 January adjournment, Savage said that:The Government has committed to a number of measures around the restoration of nature, accounting for emissions and nature impacts overseas, public engagement, and closer collaboration between the
Climate Change Committee and the
Joint Nature Conservation Committee—and between the two key ministries that are responsible for our environment—including the Secretaries of State presenting an annual statement on progress made on climate and nature.Giving evidence to the
Environmental Audit Committee on 27 January 2025,
Ed Miliband emphasised the need for a mission driven government to address the intertwined crises of climate and nature, distinguishing it from previous approaches focussed solely on
carbon budgets. Miliband praised the bill, and expressed his intention to foster a political consensus through an annual climate and nature statement to Parliament and the public. The annual statement would, Miliband said, detail the Government's knowledge of the crises, actions being taken, and ways the public can participate—aiming to "bridge gaps between the
Carbon Budget Delivery Plan and
Environmental Improvement Plan". At a subsequent session of the
Committee on 24 March 2025, the then
Secretary of State for the Environment—
Steve Reed—said that he "was disappointed that [the bill] didn't proceed", that he "very much agreed with the proposals in the bill", and that he hoped to "find other ways to achieve it". The Labour Government's official commitments to Savage were not published publicly, but following
written parliamentary questions by (Labour co-sponsors)
Simon Opher and
Nadia Whittome and other MPs,
Creagh set out that the Government will "strengthen the narrative on
consumption emissions" and "restore and protect our natural world" by: • developing a new, statutory plan to protect and restore our natural environment with delivery information to help meet each of [the UK's] ambitious
Environment Act targets • building on, and strengthening, relationships between the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the Climate Change Committee, and the Special representatives for nature and climate at a more strategic level, and • taking forward the spirit and substance of the bill with its sponsors [and setting out] an update on these steps in a ministerial [climate and nature] statement by the autumn of 2025.
Current status On 1 May 2025, marking six years since the Commons declared an
environment and climate change emergency,
Clive Lewis,
Roz Savage—and four Labour co-sponsors of the Bill—tabled
Early Day Motion 1184, observing that "the
second reading debate of the Bill was adjourned, but not concluded, on 24 January 2025" and urged the Labour Government "to allocate parliamentary time for further debate on the bill to address [these] critical challenges". According to the Commons website, the next stage for the bill is its resumed second reading. This began on 24 January 2025, when it was adjourned, but did not continue on 11 July 2025. On that day, a motion for the "resumption of [the] adjourned debate on [the] Question [of] 24 January,
That the Bill be now read a Second time" was objected to. The date of the resumed second reading was then set for 29 May 2026. The first annual climate and nature statement to Parliament was made by
Ed Miliband on 14 July 2025, where he "updated Parliament on the actions on climate and nature that we agreed with the sponsors of the Climate and Nature Bill" and set out that the Government would: • introduce a bill by the end of [2025] to enable ratification of the
Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement [and that] the
Environment Secretary had appointed 48 county and combined authorities to lead the creation of
Local Nature Recovery Strategies • [ensure] UK
decarbonisation efforts lead to a true reduction in global emissions, [and that] the Government was developing the UK's
carbon border adjustment mechanism to tackle the risk of
carbon leakage and encourage a
circular economy, domestically and internationally, to reduce waste and emissions • continue to engage with the public through the statement and beyond [and that a]
Net Zero Public Participation Strategy would be published [to] lay out the Government's objectives for engaging the public • [support] the
Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the
Climate Change Committee data sharing agreement to help tackle these intertwined crises, [as those bodies would] bring to bear a wealth of expertise in an integrated way, [and help] the Government shape the right solutions for climate and nature. In response to a written question by
Rosie Duffield (Independent) on 25 July 2025,
Creagh added that:The Government's climate and nature priorities and policies will be further set out [in 2025 via] a revised
Environmental Improvement Plan, updated delivery plan for
Carbon Budgets 4–6 and [the UK's]
Nationally Determined Contributions,
Food Strategy,
Farming Roadmap, and
Land Use Framework.At the first anniversary of the bill's second reading on Savage highlighted that her negotiations led the Labour Government to adopt several of the bill's goals. Following Miliband's July 2025 commitments, the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Act 2026 has passed into law, some
Local Nature Recovery Strategies are being deployed, and the
Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism is set for 2027. Further steps includes a new Climate and Nature Participation Hub, enhanced data sharing between the
Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the
Climate Change Committee, and the launch of a £1 billion
Local Power Plan. == Zero Hour campaign ==