Tess Colley

The energy and net zero secretary spoke at length to an audience of green-minded Labour MPs last week. Here’s what you need to know.

A new ‘grey belt’ designation will include land that makes a ‘limited contribution’ to the green belt’s five core purposes, according to a government consultation on major planning reforms, as it outlines its intention to improve the state of the environment in green belt land.

Impediments to independent scrutiny and serious flaws in how biodiversity net gain (BNG) is monitored are threatening the success of the policy, experts tasked with advising Natural England have warned.

Natural England’s total budget has seen a £14m drop for the first time in five years, with headcount across the year also set to see a drop, according to an ENDS analysis.

The Environment Agency is awaiting a judgement on whether its decision to remove a deadline for tightening regulation on the use of sewage sludge as a fertiliser was lawful. But regardless of the outcome, do trends in the US suggest policymakers - and lawyers - should be sitting up? Tess Colley reports.

A legal threat to the government over its approval of what stands to be the country’s biggest solar farm has been abandoned by the four councils which launched it.

A legal threat to the energy secretary over his approval of what would be the country’s biggest solar farm has been abandoned by the four councils involved after two of them withdrew from the challenge, prompting one of the others to criticise their change of heart.

The Scottish first minister has announced a Natural Environment Bill as part of Scotland’s programme for government for the year ahead.