The Climate and Nature bill didn’t pass its second reading yesterday, by Thursday evening it had become obvious that the Government wouldn’t let it progress.

It seems however that a compromise which the Government will work with was reached. This Facebook post from Dr Roz Savage, the Liberal Democrat MP who reintroduced the Climate and Nature Bill this parliamentary session, explains what happened yesterday when it became obvious that the Climate and Nature bill wouldn’t pass its second reading.

What a day, well, what a week!

Today marked the second reading of my Private Members’ Bill – the Climate and Nature Bill.
I’m so grateful to everyone who attended, showed their support, and has worked so hard to champion this cause – especially the incredible team at Zero Hour. …
After a long and lively debate, the House voted to adjourn the debate until 11th July.
In the meantime, I’ve secured a significant list of commitments from the government, including but NOT LIMITED to:
Recommitting to key policy promises and ensuring DEFRA and DESNZ coordinate on climate and nature strategies.
A guarantee that I’ll be involved in discussions around environmental policy.
A government-led parliamentary debate on the UK’s climate and nature progress, and an annual statement from the Secretary of State.
This is a huge step forward for the climate and nature movement. The CAN Bill remains alive in its current form, and these commitments can hold the government to account on their environmental policies after this win today.

Thank you for being part of this journey – together, we’re driving progress for a sustainable future.

This comment on Roz’s post by constituent Stuart Madeley offers a useful analysis……

We might be disappointed but in reality, as a Private Members Bill it was never going to progress without Government backing. As was reported in several newspapers this week the Labour Government were opposed to the Bill and were prepared to vote it down (they have a majority of 156!) If that had happened the Bill would be dead now!

Instead Roz has secured several commitments from Ed Miliband which may well lead to the Government adopting some or all of the measures in the Bill. It’s a long road but this is a very important step forward that has been achieved as a result of hard work by Roz and her team as well as by other MPs and campaigners over several years. Well done to everyone who supported this Bill and good luck for the next steps to finally getting these measures in place!

A huge thanks to all those who contacted their MPs and especially those who were involved in the wider Zero Hour campaigning. Your efforts ensured that the Government could not dismiss the bill out of hand.