Friends of the Earth Will Campaign to Keep EU Environment Protection

Following the news that Britain has voted to leave the European Union, Friends of the Earth is urging the UK not to forget about the environment. Today’s referendum result could mean that European environmental protections are no longer valid. Friends of the Earth say they will campaign to keep these protections, despite the voting results.

Craig Bennett, Friends of the Earth’s CEO, said: “The referendum may be over but many of the difficult debates are only just beginning. 

“The environment must be at the heart of our negotiations with Europe and how we create a positive future for our country. We cannot let the UK return to the days of ‘the dirty man of Europe’. Protections for our birds and wildlife, our beaches and rivers, must not be sacrificed in the name of cutting away so-called EU ‘red tape’.  

“The environment was rarely mentioned during the referendum but it must now move up the political agenda. With urgent issues like climate change, air pollution and destruction of the natural world already impacting this generation, not just the next, we don’t have time for the environment to take a back seat through years of negotiations.”