Our volunteer Holly (who is a current undergraduate Politics and International Relations student) has put together a quick summary of why it is important to consider environmental policies when making your final decision, followed by some of the main environmental policies of 5 UK political parties that relate to rivers. 

Why are environmental policies important? 

The climate crisis is causing more extreme weather, including flooding, droughts, and wildfires. 

Policies to maintain and restore wetlands can help to provide a nature-based solution to these issues while also aiding the increase of biodiversity which has been in decline. Soils are also important carbon stores, therefore well-managed soils can help the UK to achieve its Net-Zero commitments, whilst also helping to alleviate flooding. 

Freshwater species have also been in decline globally since 1970. This is in part due to pollution from sewage, plastic, and chemicals which also pose a threat to human health. Therefore, it is essential that policies are introduced to improve water quality so that both humans and animals can enjoy our rivers. 

What are the environmental policies of the UK’s main political parties? 

You can find a summary of key environmental policies for 5 UK political parties below. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list and a link to each party’s manifesto is available below. 

The Conservative Party (manifesto: https://manifesto.conservatives.com/) 

• Increase the UK-wide farming budget by £1 billion over the Parliament, ensuring it rises by inflation in every year. Farmers will be able to spend every extra penny on grants to boost domestic food production on top of maintaining our approach to Environmental Land Management Schemes. 

• Working with the regulator to further hold companies to account, including banning executive bonuses if a company has committed a serious criminal breach.  

• Using fines from water companies to invest in river restoration projects, including linking up thriving habitats to multiply the benefits for wildlife and water quality. This will create a river recovery network, modelled on our nature recovery network, and create new destinations for people to enjoy across England. 

• Designate the UK’s 11th National Park alongside investing to improve existing National Parks and protected landscapes 

• Work with landowners, charities, and others to open up more ‘access to nature’ routes without introducing a universal right to roam 

The Green Party (manifesto: https://greenparty.org.uk/about/our-manifesto/2024-manifesto-downloads/) 

• A £40bn investment per year in the shift to a green economy over the course of the next parliament  

• Bring the railways, water companies, and the big 5 retail energy companies into public ownership 

• Introduce a new Rights of Nature Act, giving rights to nature itself. 

• End the scandal of sewage pouring into our rivers and seas by taking the water companies back into public ownership  

• Financial support for farmers to be almost tripled to support their transition to nature-friendly farming 

The Labour Party (manifesto: https://labour.org.uk/change/my-plan-for-change/) 

• We will introduce a land-use framework and make environment land management schemes work for farmers and nature.  

• Create one new National River Walk in each region of England, establish three new National Forests in England, plant millions of trees to create new woodland. 

• Expand nature-rich habitats such as wetlands, peat bogs, and forests to be enjoyed by families and wildlife. 

• Put failing water companies under special measures to clean up our water. 

• Give water company regulators new powers to block the payment of bonuses to executives who pollute our waterways and bring criminal charges against persistent law breakers 

The Liberal Democrats (manifesto: https://www.libdems.org.uk/plan) 

• End the sewage scandal by transforming water companies into public benefit companies, banning bonuses for water bosses until discharges and leaks end, and replacing Ofwat with a tough new regulator with new powers to prevent sewage dumps. 

• Strengthen the Office for Environmental Protection and provide more funding to the Environment Agency and Natural England to help protect our environment and enforce environmental laws. 

• Ensure that nature-based solutions form a critical part of our strategy to tackle climate change (eg restore peatlands, protect and enhance temperate rainforests etc) 

• Set meaningful and binding targets to stop the decline of our natural environment and ‘double nature’ by 2050: doubling the size of the Protected Area Network, doubling the area of most important wildlife habitats, doubling the abundance of species and doubling woodland cover by 2050. 

• Support farmers properly in restoring woodland, peatland, and waterways, creating new natural flood protections, encouraging species recovery and carbon storage while also providing food for the table. 

Reform (manifesto: https://www.reformparty.uk/policies) 

• Fast-track clean nuclear energy with new Small Modular Reactors 

• Increase and incentivise ethical UK lithium mining for electric batteries, combined cycle gas turbines, clean synthetic fuel, and tidal power 

• Explore clean coal mining 

• Scrap Net Zero 

• Increase the Farming Budget to £3 Billion