The Labour Government was elected on a mandate of change, a critical pillar of which was economic growth.

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But in the two years since Keir Starmer took office, an essential driver of that growth has not just been overlooked, but actively damaged by political choices.

That driver is Nature. The Government’s approach to Nature and private-sector investment has been progressively weakened by decisions that have damaged confidence, innovation and investment.

Nature is critical national infrastructure. This is something we have always understood at Nattergal, a business I’ve been CEO of since 2023, dedicated to restoring degraded landscapes at scale, funded by private investment. The Government’s own most recent national security assessment highlighted this when it warned of the severe risk to global security from ecosystem collapse.

It wasn’t always going to be bad for Nature. Starmer entered No 10 with environmental ambition, noting in Labour’s 2024 manifesto that the climate and Nature crises were the single greatest challenge we face, alongside a commitment to crowd in private investment and shape Britain’s natural capital markets.

But policies implemented during Starmer’s tenure will be remembered for a failure to make proper use of private investment: undermining Biodiversity Net Gain, ignoring expert advice, and misdiagnosing the challenges facing housing and infrastructure development by blaming Nature as a blocker, while failing to address the more significant other constraints........

© LBC