Political Print

Political Print: New face, but environmental policy remains a farce

Political Print: New face, but environmental policy remains a farce
The new secretary of state for net-zero is thought to be greener than her predecessor but this government is setting the bar incredibly low. By David Burrows. Someone called Coutinho is the new energy security and net-zero secretary. Never heard of them. I Googled the name and the first hit was Philippe Coutinho – the…
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Political Print: Comical food policy is no laughing matter

Political Print: Comical food policy is no laughing matter
A scathing attack on ministers by a leading financial analyst reveals the depth of despair felt at the government’s failure to deal with food system challenges. Nick Hughes reports. “The UK food system, the largest industry in the country by a country mile, is a puppet of a failing, shallow, ignorant and low capability UK…
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Political Print: UK dithers in race to zero

Political Print: UK dithers in race to zero
Mainstream business groups are agitating for policies that will drive a green industrial revolution, but ministers are still not listening. Nick Hughes reports. Last month I made an impassioned plea for business leaders who want to see the government adopt stronger sustainability policies to make their voices heard. Perhaps Tony Danker was listening? In a keynote speech delivered at…
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Political Print: Johnson continues to swerve the pig issues

Political Print: Johnson continues to swerve the pig issues
If only the prime minister showed as much enthusiasm for a promised national food strategy as he does for Peppa Pig. By Nick Hughes. At least 16,000 healthy pigs have been culled and incinerated in the UK since the summer due to a shortage of capacity in abattoirs; yet it feels entirely in keeping with…
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Political Print: Government plots road to nowhere on diets

Political Print: Government plots road to nowhere on diets
The need for dietary change remains a bewildering blind spot in the government’s new net-zero strategy. Nick Hughes reports. You wait months for the government to put some flesh onto the net-zero bone, then three critical documents totalling 700 pages land on the same morning just days before world leaders gather for the most important…
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Political Print: Will labour be Johnson’s undoing?

Political Print: Will labour be Johnson’s undoing?
The government’s laissez-faire approach to the crisis engulfing UK food supply chains risks storing up long-term problems, says Nick Hughes. As parliament resumed this week the prime ministerial in-tray will have been piled unusually high with issues of national importance. Any one of coronavirus, Afghanistan or social care alone are weighty enough to give most…
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Does government have the appetite for Dimbleby’s food fix?

Does government have the appetite for Dimbleby’s food fix?
The first national food strategy in a generation makes the crucial connection between health and the environment, but is it destined to end up on the shelf? Nick Hughes reports. “The UK has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape the food system.” So says Henry Dimbleby, the man whose seminal national food strategy seeks to seize…
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Political print: Are we really governed by environmentalists?

Political print: Are we really governed by environmentalists?
The government is facing some inconvenient truths as patience with its green promises begins to dry up. David Burrows reports. “I am an environmentalist,” declared Michael Gove in July 2017. “We need to maintain and enhance the natural world around us, or find ourselves facing disaster.” He talked of better protection of the marine environment,…
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Political Print: Defra stumbles on road to Glasgow

Political Print: Defra stumbles on road to Glasgow
The environment department still burns or buries 60% of its waste and is struggling to reduce its emissions. With COP26 looming it needs to set an example, says David Burrows. David Cameron went from hugging huskies and promising the greenest government ever to cutting the green crap. Boris Johnson, his successor bar one, is now…
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Political Print: A scientific spring?

Political Print: A scientific spring?
The UK government wants to promote controversial crop-breeding technologies like gene editing. Foodservice businesses need to be part of the debate, says Nick Hughes. “Now that we have left the EU, we are free to make coherent policy decisions based on science and evidence.” So declared the environment secretary George Eustice last week as he…
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