Speaking to The i Paper in her first newspaper interview since being promoted to the Cabinet, Emma Reynolds admitted that voters remain “frustrated and angry” about the state of the Britain’s waterways.
Reynolds also pledged that expensive “bat tunnels” will never again be allowed to hobble major building projects despite the concerns of some nature lovers – and called on Labour MPs to stop “sniping from the sidelines” ahead of the party conference which kicks off in Liverpool this weekend.
Reynolds praised The i Paper for our push to Save Britain’s Rivers, saying: “Let me congratulate you on your campaign. I think your readers, and people across the country, are rightly angry that our waterways, our rivers, lakes and seas, are being polluted to the extent that they are. And really, I hate to say it, but it’s a bit of a metaphor of the last government. I mean, they absolutely failed to get a grip on this problem.”
Since taking power, the Labour Government has passed legislation toughening the penalties applied to individuals and companies responsible for polluting waterways, including a ban on bonuses for senior executives. Reynolds said that a new Water Bill likely to be published next year will go further by overhauling the entire regulatory system.
Emma Reynolds promised to have a ‘very open relationship’ with farmers (Photo: Jason Alden/The i Paper)
Asked whether criminal proceedings could be brought against those engaging in this behaviour, Reynolds said: “In the first instance, the Environment Agency is investigating all the water companies that have been misusing these permits and, frankly, breaking the law. We need to make sure that they are held to account for that. I will need to consider carefully in the round what we do about this specific issue, but also more generally how we ensure that the water industry is not polluting our waterways.”
No more ‘bat tunnels’
Another thorny political issue covered by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is farming, with Reynolds charged with rebuilding relations with the sector after the controversial decision to impose inheritance tax on family farms which were previously exempt.
Defra also plays a key role in the Government’s infrastructure reforms, which are intended to shift the balance of planning rules so that environmental concerns are used less often to deny permission to important projects or add costs – such as the notorious “bat tunnel” built as part of the HS2 rail line to protect animals which live in the area near the new track.
The Labour conference which runs from Sunday to Wednesday comes at a time when the party is languishing in the polls and MPs are increasingly pushing a change of direction, with some even contemplating a move against Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership. Reynolds, a Starmer loyalist, insisted that the Government had had “a very tough inheritance” but admitted that “it’s been a tough year and a bit” despite what she said were policy successes such as primary school breakfast clubs and a strong relationship with the US.
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Read MoreAsked if that was a reference to Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester who has been setting out an alternative policy platform and refusing to bat away suggestions he wants to take over from Starmer, Reynolds concluded: “I think the mayors and the backbenchers and the frontbenchers all need to pull together. We are one Labour movement. We are one Labour Party. I waited for 14 years for this opportunity, and I don’t think we should squander a moment.”
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