It is alarming to see the government weaponise official departmental social media accounts to sneer at those who care about nature and the environmental safeguards that protect it.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has consistently and aggressively labelled nature as a blocker to its growth agenda. Its recent post on X – depicting “blockers” as “traitors” from one of the UK’s most-watched TV shows – is a disgrace. It reduces the serious duty of environmental stewardship to the level of an online joke.
Nature, and those who defend it, are not obstacles. They are essential to building a Britain that is both prosperous and sustainable. The environment is not a barrier to growth – and certainly not an internet meme – but the bedrock of our economy, our health and our national wellbeing.
This crude and dishonest campaign against environmental protections won’t build a single new home. It will only erode public trust, needlessly inflame culture wars and further degrade the natural world that we all depend on.
This government should stop pitting people against nature and start working with those striving to ensure that new developments benefit both.
Sally Hayns
CEO, Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management