Last week, Labour scrapped NHS England, claiming they wanted to ditch powerful quangos and boost ministerial oversight. Yet, in the Planning & Infrastructure Bill, they’ve handed Natural England massive new powers to seize farmland for nature schemes—below market rate, with little democratic control.
The Government won’t say how many farms will be lost, even though their own Land Use Framework consultation (open until April 25) is still ongoing. So, one department’s legislating on seizing land before another’s finished consulting on how land should be used.
Where’s the coordination? If these powers are needed, what’s the impact on farmland security? If not, why rush this now?
Last night, I raised these exact questions in Parliament, but the Minister dodged them, offering vague promises instead of answers.
Farmers are the very people we need for nature restoration but are getting undermined yet again by this Labour Government.
