Blue Planet and Brexit for animals: inside the Tory ‘green conservatism’ master plan

Spectator ‘One of the things MPs complain about when it comes to Brexit – aside from its handling by the government – is that it means there is little time left for the Conservatives to pursue much in the terms of domestic policy. The one area which appears to be the exception to the rule is the environment. Since Michael Gove was appointed Defra secretary, there have been a raft of good news announcements coming from the department. Click here to read more

Guardian ‘Up to their necks in Brexit chaos and with Corbyn’s Labour snapping at their heels, the Tories are trying again with a somewhat tired strategy to escape the label of the “nasty party”. They are having another go at acting like environmentalists, this time combining it with being nice to animals. At the helm of this more caring narrative is environment secretary, Michael Gove, tasked with resurrecting the idea that blue is the new green.

The public have come to regard the Conservatives as people who believe it is fine for hounds to catch and tear apart a fox because animals don’t have feelings anyway. The manifesto commitment to overturn the foxhunting ban and more recently refusing to back Caroline Lucas’s amendment to the EU withdrawal bill on recognising animals as sentient beings, have left the Tories looking cruel and heartless and has led to a huge public backlash. In response we have had a plethora of new “pro-environment” policy announcements from the man who has promised a green Brexit, and it would be churlish not to admit that these are welcome. Click here to read more