Senedd members warn Wales is 'too late' on environment

Delyth Jewell expressed concerns about delays in introducing the environment bill, which aims to reverse nature loss, with one in six species now at risk of extinction in Wales.
Plaid Cymru's shadow climate secretary said: "For years, Wales has been behind the curve and we've been an unfortunate exception in terms of environmental governance."
Gaps arising from Brexit left Wales with the weakest environmental governance structures in western Europe, according to the Wales Environment Link charity.
The bill would establish the "long-awaited" Office of Environmental Governance Wales (OEGW) to check public bodies' environmental performance and hold them to account.
Similar bodies were set up in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England in 2021.
In 2018, then-climate secretary Julie James committed to legislation to address the governance gap at the "first opportunity."
Ministers declared a climate emergency in 2019 before appointing an interim environmental protection assessor in 2021.
Ms Jewell, who represents South Wales East, told the Senedd: "At last, I welcome the fact that we're now bridging that gap… the need for targets for nature is clear."
If passed by the Senedd, the bill would establish a framework for targets on biodiversity and enable the public to challenge public authorities on environmental issues.
Ms Jewell supported calls for headline targets and timeframes, with much of the detail – which is not included in the bill itself – set to follow in regulations.
Janet Finch-Saunders, the Conservatives' shadow climate secretary, warned Wales has been lagging on setting biodiversity targets.
"This is, I feel… too little, too late," she said.
Labour's Huw Irranca-Davies explained the bill goes further in some areas than in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, citing the example of a power to enforce urgent compliance.
'We may be behind other UK nations but actually we've been able to learn the lessons from them," he said.
He accepted: "We do now need to proceed with urgency… to refine and craft this."

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The Independent

3 hours ago

• The Independent

Readers have their say on reversing Brexit – from rejoining EU ‘tomorrow' to ‘letting more time pass'

Nearly nine years on from Brexit, a deep sense of regret and frustration lingers across the UK. What was once hailed by some as a reclaiming of sovereignty has instead left many feeling isolated, economically weakened, and disconnected from the continent they once called home. A recent YouGov poll revealed that more than half of Britons now want to rejoin the EU, and Independent readers have echoed this sense of disappointment and frustration. Despite the appetite, there was a strong feeling that rejoining would be complicated and is unlikely anytime soon, given political resistance and the demanding terms the EU would likely require. Yet many remained hopeful that growing public support might shift the debate in the future. Here's what you had to say: Farage: the problem, not the solution Nigel Farage – the man who attempted to ostracise Britain from the EU, who pledged Brexit would dramatically bring down immigration, give us our sovereignty back, and who now squeals to the British public that he can somehow, somewhere, magic up a harsher version that will somehow fix all of Great Britain's problems. No Farage, you are the problem. As your new 'Chair' of Reform creates yet another divisive policy of bringing back the return of the death penalty – and as Sky News today has reported that the UK's largest trade union saw its membership jump by 200 per cent in the 10 local authorities won by Reform recently – he is now attempting to sack anyone working on DEI or climate change, despite the very fact that the councils don't even have staff who work exclusively on either of these policies. Can't he, for once, attempt to fix the problems that the UK already has, as opposed to creating new ones? Amy Regardless of whether leaving the EU was a good or bad idea, the outcome teaches us an important lesson about the way our democracy works. Brexit failed for lots of reasons, but in part at least, it failed because the government of the day didn't support it. As a consequence, they had no plan for it. This is why referendums, far from being examples of direct democracy, are terrible ideas – and in this case, a rank abdication of responsibility, and a classic example of a Tory putting his party before the interests of the country. If you want something to change, vote for a party that is promising it. It's to be hoped that they will at least have thought it out. RickC The UK has been teetering on the edge of economic disaster Leaving the EU was a terrible blunder. The biased information received by the UK public was all in favour of 'Remain'. David Cameron went so far as to openly proclaim his allegiance to Remain and sought to persuade the UK electorate likewise. Unfortunately, the UK electorate had, at that time, seen little benefit from their EU membership and voted accordingly to leave. Cameron then did the right thing – to fall on his own sword! Unbelievably, Sunak brought him back into government as an entirely inappropriate foreign minister and even made him a member of the House of Bores. The UK has been teetering on the edge of economic disaster, while still strutting itself on the international stage as a global player. If only politicians would learn to serve the people of this country well! This is – after all – what they are elected to do. SPCK The UK is reliant on a foreign workforce It has been a failure because none of the issues that triggered Brexit were properly addressed, but actually made worse, especially immigration, the number one reason Brexit succeeded. And what happened to immigration post-Brexit? Nothing, apart from Europeans being replaced by predominantly Indians and Nigerians, an important difference being that the latter are bringing in many more dependents than Europeans used to. I have been working jobs where the percentage of immigrants is quite high. Before Brexit, about 90% of coworkers from the EU came to the UK as single or at least without kids, while quite the opposite — 80% of coworkers from India, Nigeria or other African countries came in married with kids. Those who voted for Brexit were just too blind to realise or accept that the UK heavily relies on a foreign workforce, and if you did not want it from the EU, you will have to accept it from Asia and Africa. WokiePokie What does rejoining the EU actually mean? The trouble with this survey and many others is that they fail to qualify what rejoining the EU means. Most assume it means going back in with our concessions. If asked if they support joining the Euro and Schengen (which all new members have to agree to), the majority support amongst the UK electorate disappears. Ian Robinson "It found that 56 per cent want the UK to return to being part of the EU." But it didn't specify on what terms, so respondents probably imagined the same terms we had when we left. That, of course, will never be on offer – and joining the Euro and Schengen and fully committing to the full European project would be a non-negotiable prerequisite. They would also need to see a consensus among both the public and political classes, and that would mean another referendum with a super-majority in favour of rejoining – and 56 per cent wouldn't cut it. Then, the UK would have to be able to meet the Copenhagen Criteria and its economic limits in terms of debt and deficit, and we are nowhere near that. Happily, rejoining is a pipe dream. There is no prospect in sight for the UK rejoining. Dogglebird The people were lied to – we deserve another vote Brexit was a failure. We were all lied to by Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage as well as the other Tories. Look at the damage it has caused and how many people have lost their jobs. The UK has been in a mess ever since. The UK public should be allowed another vote to rejoin the EU or stay as we are. After all, the government gets to vote on everything, but we are not allowed to. Markcarlisle Lazy leadership Brexit was based on lies and misled the public. Farage, Johnson, Gove and co stoked up the campaign and drove through a disastrous hard Brexit deal. But the man at whose door this lies is Cameron. He called the referendum to deal with Tory divisions, lost it because he was too lazy and sloppy to organise it properly (a binding referendum usually requires a two-thirds majority), and then walked away from the resulting mess. It's encouraging that public opinion is slowly shifting towards rejoining, but 56 per cent isn't a large enough percentage to encourage the current government to act, and polls have been stuck at that for quite some time. There will only be enough political momentum to justify rejoining the EU or the EEA when polling in favour of this is consistently over 60 per cent, and there's little sign of that yet. Tanaquil2 Weakening Europe was senseless At Brexit time (after the vote), I posted that it was silly to reject the economic value of being in the EU, but absolutely senseless to weaken Europe in the face of Putin and Jinping, given the US had voted for Trump. I didn't expect Trump to come back, but it was clear there was something seriously wrong over there. For all its problems, Europe is the best hope for the world, and it needs the extra weight of the UK. much0ado We need to know the terms first I voted against Brexit, but the biggest lesson should be: make any decision once you know the terms. From past reporting, it would seem some EU members are open to treating the UK as a returning member as a special case, whilst others, particularly France, want us treated like a new entrant. Langley Now isn't the time I was a staunch Remainer, and as a pro-globalist, I'm keen to see us rejoin the European Union. I also miss travelling so freely. I believe now is not the time to rejoin the EU, however. Nerves are still raw, the Brits aren't well-liked on the continent, and I believe rejoining would be a financially costly endeavour – a kind of punishment for leaving in the first place. More time needs to pass. BigDogSmallBrain No party will have the courage to rejoin Leaving the EU was a horrendous act of self-harm. Unfortunately, we have a situation in which the hard right still has substantial power and do not accept that we are in a worse position. It is somehow a failure of everyone else that Brexit is a failure. No party will have the courage to rejoin, especially as we are unlikely to rejoin on such favourable terms. The EU reset is a good start, but can we quickly progress towards a single market and customs union model? The country has been lied to, but too many people still believe the lies of Farage and co. If there were a referendum, I would vote to rejoin tomorrow. I have always been a Eurosceptic, but I have also always recognised the enormous benefits we got from the EU. If you belong to any club, some rules you will like and others you won't. Speculator The UK is now a sea of charity shops and budget stores I have lived and worked outside the UK since I was 26 and moved to Dubai, from there to Switzerland, briefly back to the UK, then Cyprus, and now France since 2009. Both my children were born abroad and benefited from living in different countries. I watched Brexit evolve with horror, but was powerless as I lost my vote after 15 years outside. I think if anyone has any questions about whether the UK should rejoin, they should take a trip through Europe — not the Costas, but the real Europe. Maybe a high-speed train from Milan to Bari, or a drive through France, Germany, Austria, and check out the well-maintained roads and facilities. Frankly, we find the UK now just a sea of charity shops, budget stores, scruffy towns and horrible transport options. Hoping it changes for the sake of the youth. Chris Want to share your views? Simply register your details below. Once registered, you can comment on the day's top stories for a chance to be featured. Alternatively, click 'log in' or 'register' in the top right corner to sign in or sign up.

Spectator

4 hours ago

• Spectator

Is Dutch tolerance dying?

Campaigners across southern Europe are protesting against 'touristification'. Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, wealthy expats are in the firing line. Businesses in Amsterdam could be asked to foot the bill for local housing if they employ highly-skilled internationals. Alongside paranoia about asylum seekers, there is a rising feeling that expats and even holidaymakers are unwelcome in parts of the continent. The Netherlands was once an outward-looking, tolerant, trader nation. Is that still the case? It's not much fun to live in a place – or even visit somewhere – that resents your presence, especially if you have bothered to learn the local language and swallowed the high tax rates that fund northern Europe's generous social benefits. But this 'me-first' sentiment in Europe is great news for London and anywhere else in the market for scarce global talent. Post-Brexit 'trading volumes shifting to Amsterdam appear to be here to stay,' Dutch financial paper Het Financieele Dagblad jubilantly announced earlier this year. The paper claimed that 'Amsterdam is now bigger than London'. In the aftermath of Britain's departure from the EU, there certainly appeared to be some evidence that London's dominance as a global financial centre might be at risk. But – unlike the years after the 2016 EU referendum, in which the European Medicines Agency relocated to Amsterdam, and the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency loudly boasted about winning businesses, jobs and investments – there has been a change of tone. The Netherlands was once an outward-looking, tolerant, trader nation that advertised for foreign students and was proud of its English-language proficiency. Is that still the case? Last week, Amsterdam council voted to pass a motion to ask international businesses based in the Dutch capital to contribute to solving a general housing shortage and pay for programmes to get their 'lonely' foreign workers to integrate. The policy, 'Make Amsterdam your home', sounded friendly enough, but the message behind it was anything but. 'In short, internationalisation is part of our city but it also brings challenges, such as driving up house prices, the emergence of a parallel world and the transformation of neighbourhoods, for example because more and more English is spoken,' it declared. Foreign companies, said the accompanying Labour press release, should be expected to give something back. As the Netherlands remembers 80 years of liberation from the Nazis – thanks to Allied troops, speaking that awful language of English – foreigners are being blamed for driving up house prices and sabotaging social cohesion. The facts are less important than nationalist gut feeling: the Dutch government offers 110,000 highly-skilled migrants (including footballers) a temporary tax break to compensate for its high income taxes. But despite the expats, who don't even have a vote, benefitting our country, they are far from popular. It doesn't seem to matter that a government analysis found the tax break raises €128.5million (£110 million) a year, has a 'very modest impact' on house prices and 97 per cent of the highly-skilled professionals work full time, compared with 52 per cent of the Dutch. Nor that Statistics Netherlands research suggests that Germans and Brits lead the least segregated lives and wealthy locals the most. The Dutch government recently collapsed in a row over asylum created by far-right veteran Geert Wilders. Universities are scrapping English-language courses and capping international student numbers. Now, Amsterdam councillors are pointing the finger at internationals for the consequences of the Netherlands' part-time lifestyle, lack of house-building and preference for single-person households. Meanwhile, the country continues to ignore calls from the European Commission, Dutch central bank and its own economists to reduce home owner tax breaks that inflate its housing market. It's easy – if absurd – to vilify other people and treat hard-working foreigners who do the jobs you can't or won't do as 'exploiting' your system. But the result is obvious: when places like the Netherlands become hostile to international business and talent, it will go elsewhere. The failure of Dutch tolerance is a marvellous opportunity, in other words, for a place like London – where you can be judged by what you can do instead of by your name; where a finance minister doesn't have to admit the tax office has a problem with 'institutional racism'; and a government doesn't fall after falsely accusing some 40,000 families of childcare benefits fraud. Non-doms might not be welcome in the UK – and Wise, the British fintech, might be leaving for New York – but filthy-rich talent is not a problem in London. Some Dutch experts, at least, recognise that their golden age is tarnishing. To the concern of the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW), the country dropped from 4th in 2021 to 10th this year in the IMD's world competitiveness ranking. The Netherlands might be ahead of the UK (29th) with the help of its international trade, but tax policy is rated a dismal 67th – well under Britain. The general-director of the VNO-NCW Focco Vijselaar tells The Spectator that there is cause for concern. 'For quite some time, we have been pointing out the concrete rot in our business climate,' he said. 'And you see the cracks in these kinds of lists. If you look at international investment, we are at 41st place, an unprecedentedly low spot. We are struggling with major bottlenecks in the Netherlands: a housing market that is locked down, nitrogen pollution problems and high energy prices.' Flip-flopping on highly-skilled migrant tax breaks does not help, he added: 'We need the expats.' Liberal democrats in Amsterdam are also worried about scapegoating the international community. 'That social cohesion is under pressure is not solely due to the expats,' said Democrats 66 economics spokesman Erik Schmit last week. 'Housing prices are rising: it is not proven that this is solely due to the international community…As a government, we have other priorities.' But after constant changes to the 30 per cent highly skilled migrant tax-free allowance and the removal of its non-dom ruling, the Netherlands is increasingly out of favour. New foreign student numbers have plunged, threatening various courses. Data from jobs site Indeed shows a drop of 48 per cent in applications from India and 40 per cent from the UK this year. Emigration appears to have peaked and highly-skilled migrant numbers are tumbling. Britain might have creaking infrastructure and complex regulation, but it is remarkably open and far less corrupt than many of its neighbours. If the Dutch want to drive out innovators, talent and factories with high energy prices, punitive taxes and cultural suspicion – and if southern Europe is busy fighting with tourists – other cities have a chance. Now is the time to declare Britain open for business.

Daily Record

6 hours ago

• Daily Record

Online attacks on MSPs cross the line of decent debate as hate almost triples

Even if we disagree fundamentally with some of our MSPs' political positions, they deserve to be safe at work, Record View says. The number of abusive social media posts directed towards MSPs has almost tripled in the past year. According to research, MSPs have been on the receiving end of 23,500 abusive posts – an increase from 8000 the 12 months before. ‌ No matter your views on the performance of our politicans, this is unacceptable. ‌ While robust debate should always be welcomed – and our MSPs should expect a fair amount of anger from constituents – this onslaught of online hate must end. Even if we disagree fundamentally with some of our MSPs ' political positions, they deserve to be safe at work. But it makes it almost impossible for them to engage with voters when they are on the receiving end of so much online abuse. Some will argue MSPs should just get on with it and these hateful messages are nothing more than keyboard warriors letting off steam. But we all know nasty bile poured out online can seep into the real world. ‌ We saw the worst of this in 2016, when Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered just a week before the Brexit referendum. If we want politics to make our lives better and spark real change, then we need to engage with ideas and real debate. ‌ We should disagree with our politicians. We should argue with them. We can think outside the box and put forward radical ideas. But the minute we start to abuse, threaten and hate those we disagree with, a line has been crossed. There is no excuse for it and those who engage in such tactics deserve nothing but disdain. ‌ Stay sun-sible Scots will be baking in the hottest day of the year so far today – with the temperature in Jedburgh set to top Tenerife. With the mercury soaring as high as 29C, many of us will be heading for beaches and parks to enjoy the great outdoors and a few drinks. With that in mind, many pubs are ordering in extra beer barrels to keep up with demand. ‌ But although the sun has been a rare visitor so far this summer, it would be wise to keep everything in moderation. Sunbathing, like alcohol, is best enjoyed with a sensible head on. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. ‌ Health chiefs in Glasgow have warned sun-worshippers to keep hydrated and make sure to cover up if out in the heat for long spells. The warm and dry weather will also increase the risk of wildfires, so people are being urged to take care with open fires and disposable barbecues. Whatever you get up to this fine weekend, be safe and don't forget the sunscreen.