Campaigners call for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to deliver ‘Britain’s greenest ever budget’

As doubts about the environmental policy of the Labour administration grow, campaigners are mounting pressure on Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, to deliver ‘Britain’s greenest ever budget’.

Polling by Yonder on behalf of Nature 2030, conducted in September 2024, has revealed that 63 per cent of respondents believe that Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s commitment to the environment is no stronger than that of the previous Conservative government. 57 per cent also believed that Reeves must not weaken the Government’s stance on protection for the environment.

The urgency surrounding next week’s budget comes in the wake of a series of environmental setbacks, including a recent announcement from Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh that the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will exclude glass bottles.

The omission has drawn widespread criticism, with campaigners pointing to similar schemes across Europe that have achieved recycling rates of up to 97 per cent.

Nature 2030’s research also indicated that 75 per cent of the public support an all-inclusive DRS, with 68 per cent expressing concern about the high levels of waste and pollution being created by single-use drink containers.

Polling by Alupro released last month saw similar results, with almost three quarters of respondents outlining desires for the UK Government to push ahead with the DRS.

Dominic Dyer, Environmental Activist and Chair of Nature 2030, commented: “The only way we can protect the planet for future generations is by achieving green growth, harnessing renewable energy, and ensuring we have a circular economy to tackle the harmful levels of waste and pollution we see.”

Campaigners from leading environmental organisations, including Nature 2030, Keep Wales Tidy, Keep Scotland Beautiful, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, and City to Sea, have voiced their concerns about the UK’s approach, arguing that the government should be ambitious in delivering joined-up environmental projects.

Dyer added: “After 14 years of a piecemeal approach under the former Conservative government, Rachel Reeves has can show the nation next week that the new administration has turned a corner.”

Indicating frustrations, Sian Sutherland, Co-Founder of A Plastic Planet & PlasticFree, said: “Yet again we see that the citizens of the UK are wiser than the economists that advise our politicians on environmental policy. Show me the balance sheet that proves it's possible to have a healthy thriving economy on a dying planet? We are running towards a world where the stalwarts of investment and business are completely uninsurable.”