Nearly a century on the mass trespass is still impacting policy today

Last weekend, I had the privilege of addressing the crowd at the 93^rd Kinder Mass Trespass event. This event is held annually to commemorate the most successful piece of direct action that our country has seen. A rare moment in our history where a straight line can be drawn between the actions of Benny Rothman and his fellow ramblers to the access to nature that people in High Peak and across Britain love and cherish today.

The Labour government, elected after the Second World War and led by Clement Attlee, recognised the need to protect nature and preserve our countryside for the people. They passed the legislation to create the first National Parks, ensuring access to places like the Peak District, which dominate our landscape.

Since then, it has fallen to Labour governments throughout our history to step up to protect our natural environment. In 1968, Harold Wilson’s government passed the Countryside Act, which mandated every government minister and public body across the country to have due regard to conserving the natural beauty and amenity of the countryside.

In 2000, it was Tony Blair’s government which passed the Countryside and Rights of Way Act, finally giving walkers the right to roam on more areas of the Peak District and other national parks.

I’m immensely proud to say that Labour has led the way in protecting our environment, from ensuring access to nature, to signing international agreements like the Kyoto Protocol and passing laws that will reverse the impact that climate change will have on areas like the Peak District.

Last week, in the House of Commons, I spoke about the disastrous sale of our water industry into private hands and how before the election, we saw a sewage spill in High Peak every five hours. Labour’s Water (Special Measures) Act will ban the bonuses of the bosses who have failed us and ensure that polluters, not taxpayers, foot the bill on the costs of enforcement.

In December, the Government updated the planning framework to ensure that that planning policies and decisions should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment. Too often we have seen nature recovery stall, but we’re now heading in the right direction to deliver gains for nature and biodiversity.

Whilst Reform and the Conservatives compete over which party cares less about our environment and our planet, I am determined that this Government will continue in the proud history of previous Labour Governments in extending access to nature and protecting our precious environment.