Tories pledge to abolish Environment Agency and Natural England in deregulation drive
At the Conservative conference in Birmingham, shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith will pledge to abolish the Environment Agency and Natural England and cut housebuilding rules. The party says this will speed up growth and cut new-home prices by up to £50,000.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2The Conservatives will announce plans to abolish the Environment Agency and Natural England, with shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith due to set out the pledge at the party conference in Birmingham on Monday 5 October. The GuardianLC “The Conservatives will announce a bonfire of regulations including abolishing affordable homes and community funding rules as well as scrapping Natural England and the Environment Agency.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Daily MailR “Shadow Chancellor Andrew Griffith will unveil plans to 'abolish' the Environment Agency and Natural England” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Mixed · 2The party says the two bodies are preventing too many homes being built and adding unnecessary costs. It says their necessary functions would be brought directly into Defra, and that they would be replaced by a "more streamlined regulatory system". The GuardianLC “Both bodies would be scrapped, with their necessary functions brought directly into Defra.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Daily MailR “Tory sources said that they would be replaced by a 'more streamlined regulatory system'.” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Right · 1The Daily Mail describes the two as among the UK's biggest quangos, with a combined annual budget of £2.7billion. It reports a Tory source saying Natural England's "nutrient neutrality" rules had prevented 160,000 homes from being built. Daily MailR “The Environment Agency and Natural England are two of the UK's biggest quangos, with a combined annual budget of £2.7billion.”“A source said Natural England's 'nutrient neutrality' rules for new developments had prevented the construction of 160,000 homes.” Read at Daily Mail ↗
Mixed · 2The pledge is part of a wider package that the Conservatives say would cut the price of a new home by up to £50,000. It includes dropping net zero rules on housebuilding such as the Future Homes Standard, which requires new homes in England to be zero-carbon ready. The GuardianLC “including scrapping net zero regulations on housebuilding, such as the Future Homes Standard, which requires all new homes in England to be zero-carbon ready.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Daily MailR “could slash the price of a new house by up to £50,000 and boost supply.” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Left · 1According to the Guardian, the party will also replace section 106 agreements and the community infrastructure levy, which oblige developers to provide affordable housing and local services, with a single "one stop" levy on developers. It will also leave the Aarhus convention, which makes it easier for community groups to oppose developments. The GuardianLC “The party will promise to replace section 106 agreements and the community infrastructure levy that oblige developers to build a proportion of affordable housing and support school and health service demands locally.”“leave the Aarhus convention, which makes it easier for community groups to oppose developments.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Mixed · 2Griffith will also back a third runway at Heathrow, saying the country should not wait until the 2040s. Both papers link this to Labour's Andy Burnham, who has not committed to the runway. The GuardianLC “Burnham has recently expressed personal scepticism about the Heathrow third runway, saying he would take differing views seriously.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Daily MailR “which are in the balance after Andy Burnham failed to commit to back them.” Read at Daily Mail ↗
Mixed · 2Griffith will also promise a tax simplification programme, calling the tax code "a cat's cradle of complexity". The Mail adds that the party would scrap Labour's "grocery tax" on packaging, which it describes as a £1.5billion levy. The GuardianLC “calling the tax code “a cat’s cradle of complexity”.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Daily MailR “he will commit to scrapping Labour's new 'grocery tax' on packaging, removing a £1.5billion levy on business and consumers.” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Mixed · 2Griffith will call it "the most ambitious deregulation project in a generation" and describe Labour's agenda as "a socialist fever dream of the 1970s". The Guardian says the plan is meant to refocus the party on the economy, where it has made relatively little progress in the polls, and notes it is third behind Labour and Reform UK. The GuardianLC “The announcements on Monday are a signal that the party intends to refocus on the economy, an area where it has made relatively little progress in the polls.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Daily MailR “'Our task just got bigger. We face a Prime Minister that wants to return Britain to an imagined past. A socialist fever dream of the 1970s.” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Mixed · 2On Sunday, party leader Kemi Badenoch published a policy document called The Right Way, which the Guardian says is inspired by Margaret Thatcher's 1976 The Right Approach. The Mail describes it as a 95-page statement of intent that includes removing measures in Labour's Employment Rights Act. The GuardianLC “Introducing the document – inspired by Margaret Thatcher’s The Right Approach from 1976” Read at The Guardian ↗ Daily MailR “Kemi Badenoch vowed to 'remove the job-destroying measures in Labour's Employment Rights Act'.” Read at Daily Mail ↗
Mixed · 2Katie Lam, the Tory housing spokesperson, said scrapping housing regulations and enforcement bodies would mean "anti-growth ideologues can never again hold our country hostage". The Mail reports confusion after a fringe meeting where Lam said Labour's Renters' Rights Act "has to go"; sources said Lam was describing landlords' challenges rather than a new policy commitment. The GuardianLC ““anti-growth ideologues can never again hold our country hostage”.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Daily MailR “But there was confusion last night, with sources saying Ms Lam had been talking about challenges faced by landlords rather than making a fresh policy commitment.” Read at Daily Mail ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- The Guardian leads with the scrapping of the two bodies and affordable-homes and community funding rules as a "bonfire of regulations". It places the plan within the Tories' poll position and strategy.
- Emphasis
- Loss of obligations on developers for affordable housing and GP surgeries, leaving the Aarhus convention, and the Tories' third place in the polls.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not give the agencies' budget or the nutrient neutrality figure of 160,000 homes. Does not mention the packaging levy or the confusion over Lam's Renters' Rights remarks.
- Charged language
- “bonfire of regulations”“anti-growth ideologues”
- For example
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“The Conservatives will announce a bonfire of regulations including abolishing affordable homes and community funding rules” — The Guardian
“Polls have the party still trailing third behind Labour and Reform UK.” — The Guardian
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- The Daily Mail presents the plan as a "war on red tape" to jolt a sluggish economy, giving the party's case in the party's own terms.
- Emphasis
- The £2.7billion combined budget, the 160,000 homes blamed on nutrient neutrality, cheaper homes, the packaging levy and Badenoch's pledge on employment law.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention scrapping section 106 and the community infrastructure levy, leaving the Aarhus convention, or the Tories' third place in the polls.
- Charged language
- “war on red tape”“quangos”“drag anchor on our economy”“job-destroying measures”
- For example
-
“Britain's biggest environmental quangos could be scrapped as part of a new Tory war on red tape designed to boost growth.” — Daily Mail
“'acting as a drag anchor on our economy'” — Daily Mail
What every side reports
- Andrew Griffith will announce plans to abolish the Environment Agency and Natural England at the Conservative conference.
- The plan is part of a deregulation package that the Conservatives say would cut new-home prices by up to £50,000.
- The Conservatives will back a third runway at Heathrow.
- Griffith will call it the most ambitious deregulation project in a generation.
Andrew Griffith person
Griffith presents the plan as the most ambitious deregulation project in a generation, aimed at cheaper homes, lower taxes and less red tape, and says only the Conservatives can fix the economy.
““No one else is coming to save our economy. Only we can inject reality, tell the hard truths and make this a country we are proud to hand on to the next generation.”” — The Guardian
“'the biggest deregulation project in a generation' could help kick start the sluggish economy” — Daily Mail
Conservative Party party
The party says the two bodies hold back housebuilding and add cost, and that necessary functions would move into Defra under a more streamlined regime.
“The party said Natural England and the Environment Agency were preventing too many homes being built and adding unnecessary costs to building.” — The Guardian
Environment Agency organisation
No response from the agency is reported. It is described as one of the UK's biggest quangos and would be abolished.
“The Environment Agency and Natural England are two of the UK's biggest quangos, with a combined annual budget of £2.7billion.” — Daily Mail
Natural England organisation
No response from Natural England is reported. A Tory source blames its nutrient neutrality rules for blocking 160,000 homes.
“A source said Natural England's 'nutrient neutrality' rules for new developments had prevented the construction of 160,000 homes.” — Daily Mail
Left1 article
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Tories to pledge to scrap Environment Agency and Natural England
Neutral Reports the pledge as a deregulation push and a political repositioning, noting what it removes for affordable housing and community groups and the party's poll standing.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
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Mixed Relays the Tory case in the party's terms, as a war on red tape to revive growth, with figures supplied by party sources, and adds a note of confusion over Lam's remarks.
- 4 Oct 22:00 First The GuardianLC Tories to pledge to scrap Environment Agency and Natural England
- 5 Oct 00:38 +2h 38m Daily MailR Britain's biggest environmental quangos and Net Zero rules face the axe to help jolt UK economy back to life
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.