Voters believe that Labour does not care enough about protecting the environment, a poll suggests.
Britain’s nature and countryside is the biggest source of national pride behind the NHS, but only 15 per cent of people think the Government is doing a good job of protecting it, according to research by the National Trust.
In a bid to boost housebuilding, it is feared that changes to planning rules could hamper efforts to improve and protect the environment.
The leading conservation charity is calling on its 5.4 million members to contact their MP over concerns about the “state of nature” in a rare political intervention.
It wants to prevent the unravelling of environmental protections and for ministers to step up the pace of recovering wildlife numbers.
Hilary McGrady, the director general of the National Trust, said nature is in a “state of freefall in this country and our Government doesn’t appear to be taking the issue seriously enough”.
“Clean rivers and seas, natural places for children to play and healthy local food are all within grasp with the right political action. But we must raise the level of aspiration. Nature can and must be restored to our islands.”
The survey of 4,000 people by pollsters More in Common last month found 59 per cent of people thought restoring nature is important while a quarter believe it is a top priority.
However, 29 per cent think the Government cares somewhat less about this goal than them, while 30 per cent said ministers care “much less”.
Just 8 per cent of respondents think Labour cares somewhat more about restoring nature than them, and only 3 per cent believe the Government cares “much more”.
McGrady said the Prime Minister should take note of the findings, adding: “Because, as I’ve said many times, the public loves nature. It is the second biggest source of pride in Britain after the NHS.”
Writing for The i Paper, she said the Government’s efforts to allow beavers back into the wild and clamp down on sewage spills were welcome but voters were concerned about housebuilding efforts.
“For much of 2025, the Prime Minister and the Chancellor had repeatedly taken aim at nature. Bats, newts, snails and spiders all came under fire for blocking development. Wildlife protections were deemed ‘unnecessary red tape’. The Government made it easier for developers to build without improving the environment.”
The National Trust is calling on the Government to make three key commitments ahead of the next King’s Speech, including meeting its target to manage 30 per cent of land for nature by 2030, strengthening legal protections for wildlife and improving access to green spaces.
With only around 14 per cent of rivers in England considered to be in good ecological health, the National Trust is urging for a strong water reform bill to clean up waterways.
Luke Tryl, of More in Common, said: “This research lays bare the political risk for Labour if it is seen as an anti-nature party.”
He added: “With Labour voters being more likely than those of any other political party to say that restoring nature is a top priority, the Government may find itself on the wrong side of public opinion – and its own voters.”
A Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said the Government is “taking bold action to reverse decades of decline” in relation to nature.
“From banning bee-killing pesticides, planting new national forests, and investing over £bn in tree planting and support to the forestry sector as part of our Plan for Change.
“We have also announced the largest nature friendly farming budget in history, with £11.8bn to be spent across this Parliament, published an ambitious and achievable Environmental Improvement Plan, and started cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas by introducing tough new powers.”
It is understood that ministers believe the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will help protect and restore nature, rivers, seas, trees and a reduction in waste, and not cause harm to environmental standards.
Protecting the environment needs political leadership
By Hilary McGrady, director general of the National Trust
I was fortunate enough to be invited to Chequers recently to interview the Prime Minister for National Trust Magazine. We sat under a tree in the sweeping grounds and talked about his family holidays to the Lake District. He told me that he was worried his children may not experience the same nature that he did as a child, and that we needed to do everything we could to change that.
But for much of 2025, the Prime Minister and the Chancellor had repeatedly taken aim at nature. Bats, newts, snails and spiders all came under fire for blocking development. Wildlife protections were deemed “unnecessary red tape”. The Government made it easier for developers to build without improving the environment.
Perhaps this was simply a ploy to appease housebuilders. But whatever the motive, I can assure ministers that the message hasn’t played well with the public. A new survey by More in Common for the National Trust reveals that six in 10 people think the Government cares less about restoring nature than they do personally. Only one in five think the Government’s care is in line with their own. The divide is stark.
This might surprise Keir Starmer. But he should take note. Because, as I’ve said many times, the public loves nature. It is the second biggest source of pride in Britain after the NHS. And despite all the pressures of daily life, 91 per cent of the Government’s own voters think that restoring nature is important or a top priority, the highest of any of the main political parties, including the Greens.
This is resoundingly the mainstream view. In a recent focus group we held in Doncaster, one woman told us she didn’t want to live in a “concrete canyon”. Each participant spoke about the importance of nature, of woods, parks, wildlife and rivers, in their daily lives. But these voices aren’t being heard.
So, this week, the National Trust is stepping in – and I’m asking for your help. I need you to write your MP. Tell them you’re worried about the state of nature. Ask them to contact the Government on your behalf. Remind them that the public adores nature and wants to see it restored.
Together, we want to create a groundswell of support for a better future. One where rivers run clean, food is healthy and plentiful, and every child has a safe, green place to play. Where political debate on nature isn’t reduced to a series of soundbites and where the goal isn’t just stopping extinction – although that would be a start – but aspiring to a thriving natural world.
This isn’t idealistic; it just needs political leadership.
There is much to be gained for the Prime Minister. It was a Labour government that invented National Parks after the Second World War, a decision that, a few decades later, meant Keir Starmer could enjoy those childhood holidays in the Lake District, and that means millions of people still get the same life-enhancing experience today.
More recently, the Government’s decisions to allow beavers back into the wild, to clamp down on sewage spills, and to create a framework to decide how land is used, are all welcome and needed. Its commitment to tackling climate change and investing in home-grown energy is laudable.
But it has to go further and faster.
The polar explorer Robert Swan, after reaching the Antarctic in 1986, said that the greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.
It’s up to all of us to step up. Please join us.
To write your MP, visit: campaigns.nationaltrust.org.uk/future
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