Becky Speight has rejected accusations from Conservative MPs that the group was lying to its members and pursuing a marketing ploy as she leads a coalition campaigning against the government over key “growth” policies she claims will harm wildlife and nature. . The chief executive said a meeting with Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Ranil Jayawardene provided no assurance that the government’s development policies would protect nature. National Trust chief executive Hilary McGrady accused the government of “demonising” conservationists, saying its members were “outraged and concerned”. The RSPB made its concerns clear two weeks ago, saying: “Make no mistake, we are angry.” Since then, it has joined forces with others including the National Trust, Wildlife and Countryside Link and the Wildlife Trusts to fight government policies it says will threaten protected habitats and species, endanger clean air, water and national welfare and will punish farmers who work to protect nature. Between them, the coalition has about 15 million members. Speight said: “The response from the public has been overwhelming. I think this has really struck a chord with people. Becky Speight. Photo: Robin McKie/The Observer “We’re dealing with a really serious situation and that’s why we’ve seen this coordinated response. This was not planned. It was a riot of concern two weeks ago and a feeling that we have to make our voices heard to try to defend nature.” The coalition’s concerns focus on: The groups are encouraging campaigners to put pressure on Tory MPs over these proposals which they say strike at the heart of environmental and wildlife protection. In response, Tory MPs criticized the RSPB, accusing it of using claims of government assault on nature as a “marketing strategy”. Speight said: “There is clearly a blanket response that MPs are sending. It is simply not credible to suggest that this is an incentive to participate. This is not about marketing. we have specific concerns that we have raised and we have not received assurances about any of them. “Our members are people of all political persuasions who are voicing their concerns and I think that shows how important this threat is.” With little sign of the government backing away from key policies of concern, Speight said the campaign would intensify. The most important stories on the planet. Get all the week’s environmental news – the good, the bad and the must-haves Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “All options are open for what we do next. This is a really serious situation and we really need to make progress so that all options are on the table. We have said we will mobilize our members and we will.” Asked if the strategy would include taking immediate action, Speight said: “We’re not ruling anything out.” Justifying the strong response, Speight said the situation was urgent, with 41% of UK species in decline and 15% at risk of extinction. “It could be very critical if they break these regulations. The target in the government’s own environment law is to halt species decline by 2030. There is a huge amount of work to be done to achieve this target and I wonder if the government understands how much is required to achieve it. The kind of proposals that have been put forward in the last two weeks are not proposing,” he said. The RSPB was not mentioned in Liz Truss’s party conference speech last week, but Speight is under no illusions that the charity is seen as part of the “anti-growth coalition” identified by the Prime Minister. “We’re not anti-growth,” Speight said. “But growth is not just about GDP. We believe that growth needs to happen better, within a healthy, natural environment, which is essential if we are to build a strong long-term economy. “Well, it’s about how you’re going to do it, and the messages we’ve been getting so far around the development plans don’t acknowledge any of that.”
