Plans by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to relax protections for wildlife such as bats and newts could place the United Kingdom in violation of its post-Brexit trade commitments with the European Union (EU), according to a confidential document obtained by officials in Brussels.
The leaked EU report, shared last week among European Commission staff and member states, raises serious concerns over the UK’s proposed environmental deregulation, specifically referencing efforts by the British government to cut planning restrictions in order to accelerate economic development and construction.
The UK government has been particularly vocal about scrapping what it describes as burdensome environmental “red tape.” Chancellor Rachel Reeves has repeatedly cited wildlife protection laws as obstructing infrastructure and housing growth. The EU report states that the rhetoric and potential legislative changes “could be in breach of the EU-UK TCA,” referring to the Trade and Cooperation Agreement signed when Britain left the bloc.
That agreement includes strict “non-regression” clauses that prevent either side from rolling back environmental or labor standards in ways that could affect trade or investment. These clauses were a cornerstone of the Brexit negotiations led by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, aimed at preserving a level playing field between the UK and the EU.
According to the leaked assessment, the UK’s environmental policy shift — especially the push to ease planning laws that currently protect certain species — could contradict those agreed commitments. “The revision of environmental planning rules to facilitate building new developments is potentially in breach of the EU-UK TCA,” the document warns.
The report also draws attention to Ms Reeves’s frequent targeting of wildlife protections in her public addresses. “A reference [to bats and newts] is found in virtually every government interview and speech on the subject,” the report notes, highlighting what it describes as “months of government rhetoric against ‘red tape.’” It further accuses the prime minister and chancellor of having “specifically targeted environmental regulations, downplaying their effectiveness, if not ridiculing them.”
While the EU has not yet formally moved to seek redress for any perceived breach, the concerns raised could weigh heavily ahead of the TCA’s official review next year. The trade agreement currently governs Britain’s economic relationship with the EU, covering areas from tariffs to regulatory standards.
UK Government Stance Condemned
Environmental organizations in the UK have also spoken out against the government’s stance. The Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) said that Ms Reeves’s characterization of bats as obstacles to development is “deeply concerning.” The trust insists that she “wrongly blames bats for slowing housebuilding and infrastructure projects.”
The friction was sparked in part by public outrage over reports that the HS2 railway project had spent more than £100 million to construct a special bat habitat — dubbed a “shed for bats.” This revelation further fueled political criticism of wildlife safeguards.
In January, Ms Reeves promised the government would stop delaying projects over animal protections. “Focus on getting things built and stop worrying over the bats and the newts,” she said in a speech aimed at boosting investor confidence and economic output.
Prominent environmentalist and BCT president Chris Packham accused the chancellor of “scapegoating” bats to justify the government’s development priorities.
Notably, newts have disrupted high-profile developments in the past, including Boris Johnson’s own plans to install a swimming pool at his country residence, which were halted due to the discovery of protected newt habitats.
A UK government spokesperson has, however, defended the move.
“We are clear that change is needed if we are to halt the decline in the state of our environment, but also deliver the homes and infrastructure we need.”
UK government spokesperson
The official added that the administration is preparing a “nature restoration fund” intended to replace the current regulatory model with one that “secures meaningful, lasting improvements for nature.”
The EU is expected to monitor developments closely in the lead-up to the TCA review, with environmental policy now emerging as a potential flashpoint in post-Brexit relations.
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