Responding to the announcement of Ranil Jayawardena as DEFRA Secretary of State Rebecca Newsom, head of politics at Greenpeace UK, said:
“A summer of outcry at our sewage-strewn beaches should give the new Secretary of State pause for thought when considering his priorities. The public wants to see our natural world enhanced, not degraded further through cuts to vital protections.
“This new government should seek to strengthen rules meant to stop sewage polluting our rivers and coast, keep plastic from our seas and prevent destructive fishing in our marine protected areas. These aren’t just red tape to be slashed. And far from being a boon, the new Secretary of State may find the main thing unleashed by cutting these protections is a wave of public anger as our natural world is further spoiled.”
