Labour Government progress – Labour Environment Campaign

Regularly visit this page to find out about the Labour Government’s most recent environmental policies.

w/c 6th April 2026

Welsh households to save money on bills through heat networks expansion. Households and businesses in Wales will benefit from government funding for low-cost, low carbon heat networks. The Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF) – which already supports heat networks in England – was expanded this week to fund projects in Wales, giving Welsh consumers the opportunity to access clean, homegrown energy, thereby reducing reliance on costly fossil fuels. Find our more here.
Port Talbot offshore wind hub. Up to £64 million has been granted to back Port Talbot’s development as the first port in the Celtic Sea specifically developed to support floating offshore wind. The new port will help unlock at least 4.5 GW of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea – helping deliver clean, homegrown electricity, protect households from volatile fossil fuel markets and create up to 5,000 new jobs.
The new Ofgem price cap. The new Ofgem price cap came into effect on 1st April, with the new cap decreasing by 7%. The decrease means a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity will see their annual bill drop by £117 a year, or around £10 a month, taking the total bill to £1,641 a year. The price cap will be £208 lower than the same period last year.
Government responds to consultation on Warm Home Discount (WHD): cost recovery. The Government’s response summarises the consultation feedback and confirms that energy suppliers should recover Warm Home Discount costs from the unit rate for electricity and gas from 1 April 2026.
Rosebank decision. OPRED has published a further information request for Rosebank, asking the developer to provide much more information regarding the potential Scope 3 emissions of the project. There is no deadline for Equinor to respond, and OPRED will consider whether there will be another public consultation upon receiving the revised submission. This pushes out the decision on Rosebank.
Threatened species set for major funding boost. The Government has unveiled the first five species set to benefit from the largest ever amount of government funding for threatened species. They are the turtle dove, diamond-backed spider, Eurasian oystercatcher, red-billed chough and glutinous snail. The Government will invest £60m over the next three years (more than double the previous round of funding) – into the Species Recovery Programme and a further £30m will be dedicated to fund species recovery on the national forest estate. It comes as Defra reveals a new campaign, “Wild Again: Restoring England’s Wildlife”.
Trail hunting set to be banned. Trail hunting is set to be banned in England and Wales – delivering a key manifesto commitment. A public consultation is open on how to take the ban forward.
Simpler household recycling rules come into force across England. New rules have been introduced in England to end the bin collections postcode lottery, and make it easier for people to recycle wherever they live by ending confusion over what goes in which bin and enabling consistent, streamlined collections. 
Local food procurement. A selection of local authorities in England awarded £155,000 each to improve food procurement practices. Councils include Middlesbrough, Brighton and Hove, Bristol and Cambridge, and will each receive £155,000 to improve how food is procured, increase the provision of healthier and more sustainable food options, and support local and small food businesses to understand better how to supply to the public sector.

w/c 16th March 2026

Government commits over £50 million for families struggling with soaring heating oil costs. The Chancellor confirmed over £50 million for low income families who heat their homes with oil to help tackle surging prices. The price of kerosene has been especially affected by the conflict in the Middle East and has risen faster than other fuels such as petrol and gas. Government announced its intention to regulate the heating oil sector to introduce new consumer protections, alongside securing agreement with industry to quickly improve customer experiences.
Land Use framework. The Government has published England’s first ever Land Use Framework – a plan for delivering new homes, nature restoration, clean energy and food security. Environmental NGOs responded favourably to the framework.
Seven Sisters formally declared England’s new National Nature Reserve. The Seven Sisters have been formally declared England’s newest National Nature Reserve. A key role of the National Nature Reserve partnership will be to promote access to the landscape, while managing visitor pressures. In addition, King Charles III launched the England Coast Path – the 2,700 mile-long trail that is the longest managed coastal walking route in the world giving – at an event at Seven Sisters held today.
Government crack down on waste crime. The Government and Environment Agency unveiled a package of measures targeting illegal dumping this week. The new Waste Crime Action Plan sets out a zero-tolerance approach, with action to prevent waste crime at its source by closing loopholes and equipping regulators with the tools they need to stop waste criminals.
New law to protect farm animals from dog attacks. The new law that strengthens protections for sheep, cows and other farm animals saving famers thousands of pounds each year has come into force.
New radar systems to unlock offshore wind. Up to 10 GW of offshore wind capacity will be unlocked as a result of Government upgrades to air defence radars. Following close collaboration with industry, the government has bought specially designed air defence radars, which will mitigate against anomalies currently created by offshore wind farms. These new radars will be installed from early 2029 and will keep the British people safe by maintaining the UK’s air defence capability, thereby supporting both national and energy security.

w/c 9th March 2026

11 Downing Street hosts forecourt operators in response to the Middle East crisis. Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband today warned forecourt industry chiefs that the Government would not tolerate “unfair practices” as concerns increase about the impact of the crisis in the Middle East on household finances. The RAC said the average price for a litre of unleaded had risen by 8p since the start of the crisis, with the cost now its highest for 18 months. Rachel Reeves has written to the Competition and Markets Authority requesting it stays on high alert for unjustifiable price rises on petrol, diesel and heating oil to support families and businesses.
Government formally responds to the Fingleton Review. The Government has published its formal response to the to the Nuclear Regulatory Review 2025. While accepting its the Review’s recommendations, a welcome change in Government rhetoric towards nature was evident. Critically, the change in rhetoric was accompanied by proposed changes that will see environmental protections remain largely unchanged. SERA and environmental NGOs are grateful for the political efforts that helped secure this outcome. However, the Government does intend to implement some minor legislative items to environmental protections that do pose threats to nature. Hence we must continue to monitor these changes closely, and advocate for change where necessary.
Environmental regulation reset to fast-track homes, transport and clean energy. Government today announced new guidelines in the form of Strategic Policy Statements that will give Natural England and the Environment Agency a mandate to prioritise outcomes over process, speeding up decision-making while maintaining high environmental standards. This will be backed by £100 million, spread over three years, to fund specialist staff and modern digital systems, so regulators can help developers to complete environmental assessments more quickly and accurately and cut costly delays.

w/c 2nd March 2026

Iran, the Middle East and UK energy: factsheet. The Government has developed a factsheet to answer questions that people may have about the impact of the recent Middle East conflict on UK energy.
Ofwat proposes £22m fine for South East Water. South East Water faces a £22m fine following an investigation into multiple supply disruptions between 2020 and 2023, which affected more than 286,000 people.

w/c 23rd February 2026

UK–China memorandum of understanding 2025 published. Today, ESNZ published the clean energy deal Ed Miliband struck with China last year.
Consultation launched on regulation of sludge on agricultural land. A consultation launched this week proposes tighter controls on spreading sewage sludge on farmland, including options to bring it under the Environmental Permitting Regulations, to better protect human health and the environment from harmful contaminants. 41% of England’s rivers, lakes and streams are currently affected by agricultural pollution, and they will get stronger protection under new proposals to increase oversight on sewage sludge spreading.
Grant to cover almost half the cost of installing EV chargers for households and businesses extended. Renters, landlords and businesses will be able to claim up to half the cost of installing an electric charger – saving them up to £500 as grants extended for a further final year. Increased charging grants mean installation costs for many drivers will be slashed, unlocking home charging for as little as 2p per mile.
Yorkshire Water fined £733k. Yorkshire Water was fined £733k this week, plus costs and victim surcharges for polluting a Chesterfield country park stream three times in less than a year.

w/c 16th February 2026

UK–California climate and energy agreement. The UK Government signed an MOU with the State of California this week. It set out mutual goals and activities to strengthen cooperation on climate resilience, carbon management, clean energy technology, systems and financing, transport decarbonisation, and environmental protection.
Deer impacts policy statement for England. Government has introduced a new 10-year government plan to coordinate measures to reduce the damaging impacts of deer on woodlands. One-third of England’s woodlands are estimated to be damaged by deer, with urgent action needed to protect trees and wildlife.

w/c 9th February 2026

Local Power Plan. This week the Government launched the Local Power Plan, a new programme to help communities across the UK own and benefit from clean energy projects. Backed by up to £1 billion in investment and delivered through Great British Energy, the plan will support local ownership of clean power like solar and wind, helping to cut bills, create jobs and keep the financial benefits of the clean energy transition in local communities.
New bathing spots. Water Minister Emma Hardy announced plans to create 13 new bathing sites, as part of the Government’s initiative to increase the number of free options for family days out and give local people greater confidence to enjoy waterways safely and access the benefits of nature. New sites will see the nation’s total bathing spots increase to 464.

w/c 2nd February 2026

Ed Miliband signs historic pact with Europe to drive clean energy. On Monday, the UK signed an historic clean energy security pact – the Hamburg Declaration – with European leaders at the North Sea Summit in Hamburg to deliver major offshore wind projects in shared waters. The new pact secures 100 GW of joint offshore wind projects to power homes and businesses across the continent and built jointly by UK and EU companies.
Clean energy upgrades for hospitals and military sites. DESNZ unveiled £74 million investment this week to equip public buildings with green tech like solar panels and batteries. Eighty-two NHS trusts will get a share of the cash, along with eight military sites and a prison.
Campaign launch on switching to electric vehicles (EVs). Government has launched a new campaign to promote the switch to EVs. It outlines the benefits of EVs that include saving up to £1,400 a year on fuel and maintenance and up to £3,750 off the cost of a new electric vehicle (EV) thanks to the Electric Car Grant.

w/c 30 January 2026

Warm Home Discount to remain for five more years. Around six million low-income households will continue to receive £150 off their winter energy bills after the Government confirmed that its Warm Home Discount will remain for five more years. With eligibility widened last year to include a further 2.7 million families, the Government has now enabled 345,000 Scottish low-income households to automatically receive the rebate next winter, bringing Scotland’s policy in line with England and Wales.
More railway services return to public ownership this weekend. From 1 February 2026, passengers travelling with London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway will benefit from reliable and better-connected services as they return to public ownership. The Government said the full public ownership program is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

w/c 23rd January 2026

Warms Homes Plan. The Warm Homes Plan was published this week, setting out how the Government will make homes warmer, reduce energy bills, secure British energy independence, tackle the climate crisis and deliver 180,000 skilled jobs. The Plan will see £15bn invested to upgrade up to 5 million homes and lift up to 1 million families out of fuel poverty by 2030. But it is also seeks to help homeowners with grants and loans to make it easier to install heat pumps, solar panels and batteries, while there will be direct support for home upgrades for those on low incomes and in fuel poverty. There are also new rules to ensure landlords invest in upgrades to cut bills for renters and social tenants.
A new vision for water: white paper. The Government published its plans to reform the water sector this week, which include:
- long term targets linked to the Environment Improvement Plan,
- the creation of 1 regulator with teeth and a new water ombudsman,
- a reset of water regulation through a Water Bill,
- a ⁠transition plan in 2026 to provide certainty about the changes,
- new performance improvement regime for poorly performing water companies and special administration regime plans,
- exploration with investors and regulators to see if green bonds could be a way to support greater investment into the water sector,
- an ⁠end to operator self monitoring and creation of an open monitoring approach, and
- ⁠work to gather asset health picture and develop forward-looking asset health metrics and statutory resilience standards
Nature security assessment on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security. The Government’s nature security assessment was released on Tuesday, a strategic assessment that explores how global biodiversity loss and the collapse of critical ecosystems could affect the UK’s resilience, security and prosperity. Prepared by the Joint Intelligence Committee, the report warns of multiplying risks from the degradation of some of the planet’s most important ecosystems, including conflict, migration and increased competition for resources. It highlights the UK’s reliance on ecosystems that are “on a pathway to collapse”, such as the Amazon and the Congo basin rainforests, Russian and Canadian boreal forests, South East Asian coral reefs and mangroves, and the Himalayas. It also warns of rising food prices and says that UK food security could be at risk. In response, the Government said that nature underpinned the UK’s security and prosperity and that the report would help it prepare for the future.

w/c 16th January 2026

Record amount of offshore wind being secured. This week the Government published the results for offshore wind Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 7 (AR7), with a record amount of offshore wind being secured to boost Britain’s energy security, lower bills and create jobs. Six fixed and two floating offshore wind projects have been awarded contracts, totalling 8.4GW. These projects are located right across the UK and are critical given many of the UK’s gas and nuclear plants are set to retire in the 2030s.