Environment campaigners call for scrutiny of Planning and Infrastructure Bill by MPs
Environment campaigners have called on MPs to scrutinise the proposed Planning and Infrastructure Bill for any reduction of environmental protections.
Campaign group Wild Justice has appealed to parliamentarians after the High Court ruled that a claim made by former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner about the bill must be examined in Parliament, rather than in the courts.
Ms Rayner had claimed in Parliament that the bill would not reduce environmental protections. Wild Justice issued a legal challenge, which the government defended by arguing the statement was covered by parliamentary privilege.
Following a hearing at the start of November, the High Court determined that as the statement was part of parliamentary process, it is solely a matter for MPs to scrutinise.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill was introduced to Parliament in March 2025 by Ms Rayner and sets out reforms to, among other things, the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017, which provide key nature protections.
The claim that these reforms would not result in a reduction of environmental protections in UK environment law was made in an environmental statement to Parliament.
Wild Justice argued this statement is not correct, and called on Ms Rayner to correct the Parliamentary record.
The group referred to a legal opinion from expert planning barristers, which argues that the bill would instead weaken existing protections.
The legal opinion highlights a lower bar for assessing negative impacts on protected sites, and the introduction of a nature levy scheme developers can pay into as factors that lower environmental protections.
Wild Justice also referred to feedback on the bill from the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), which was included as an interested party in the claim. The OEP said the bill stated it would lead to a “regression” for environmental protections.
Wild Justice filed its judicial review claim in June 2025, arguing there is no legal explanation or rationale provided for the view that the bill would not reduce environmental protections.
In its November ruling on parliamentary privilege, the High Court did not endorse or criticise the statement made by Ms Rayner.
Wild Justice and its legal team say that their case shows that the legal accuracy of statements made to Parliament cannot be assumed. They call on MPs to ensure that the bill and statements made about it are properly scrutinised and examined.
Chris Packham, Director of Wild Justice said:
“Destroy, destroy, destroy…that’s what will happen if this bill goes through without serious amendment. Nature, or what remains of it in one of the most nature depleted set of nations on Earth, will be torn up to satisfy political short-termism and an insane desire for ‘growth’ at all costs. Well, this ruling puts the ball back into Westminster, so let’s see if some MPs summon some sense and challenge this grossly inaccurate statement. This bill will be a definitive metric in revealing just how green the so called ‘greenest government ever’ really is. We all know there is a housing crisis, but it’s one of affordability not planning. There are already a million homes out there with planning permission…land banked by greedy developers. The government would do well to realise that people prefer newts and bats to bad politicians!”
Bob Elliot, CEO of Wild Justice, said:
“Nature is already on the brink and Intelligent politicians continue to belittle and disparage our wildlife at every turn. This bill threatens to unravel years of hard-won safeguards, and the consequences will be felt in every damaged river, every declining bird population, every silenced landscape and those precious places that we hold dear. The reality is that nature protections are being eroded in plain sight. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is the latest in a long line of anti-nature policies; we are calling on MPs to defend the places and species that cannot defend themselves before more of our natural world is lost for good.”
Wild Justice is represented by Carol Day and Ricardo Gama from Leigh Day’s environment team. Carol Day said:
“Our clients are disappointed that the High Court has ruled that Ms Rayner’s statement on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill cannot be scrutinised in the courts. Wild Justice feels that Ms Rayner’s claim that the bill would not reduce environmental protections was plainly wrong in law, and had hoped for the chance to scrutinise it properly in court. Following the clarity provided by the ruling, it is clear that it is down to MPs to make sure that concerns with the bill are properly addressed, and that protections for nature in UK law are not damaged.”