Fury among environmental groups as Rachel Reeves 'looks to strip back protections for bats and newts' in Labour's scramble for growth

John Flesher, deputy director of the Conservative Environment Network, said:

"The planning system in the UK is currently failing to restore nature and to build the housing and infrastructure that we desperately need.

"Poorly designed and implemented regulations are holding back our economic potential, delaying major infrastructure projects and costing taxpayers, without protecting nature as intended.

"We don't need to choose between building more housing and infrastructure and restoring nature - we must do both.

"But this will require more fundamental reforms of legacy EU red tape than the government has pursued so far.

"Labour's approach so far will fail nature and growth. The government needs to stop tinkering around the edges and end its reliance on top-down solutions.

"We must harness our Brexit freedoms to deliver a new system, which empowers farmers and the private sector, gets Britain building, and properly protects our green and pleasant land."

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