RSPB apologises for calling ministers 'liars' over environment pledges

Conservation foundation the RSPB has apologised aft calling PM Rishi Sunak and respective of his ministers "liars".

The foundation said its "frustration" astatine the authorities "reneging connected its biology promises... led america to onslaught the radical not the policy".

The authorities says the determination volition beryllium offset by different measures to tackle pollution.

It argues h2o contamination from caller homes is "very small" and the alteration volition mean up to 100,000 caller homes tin beryllium built by 2030.

In a station connected X, formerly known arsenic Twitter, earlier connected Wednesday, the RSPB criticised Prime Minister Mr Sunak, Housing Secretary Michael Gove and Environment Secretary Therese Coffey directly, penning "you said you wouldn't weaken biology protections".

"And yet that's conscionable what you are doing. You lie, and you lie, and you prevarication again," the station added.

The foundation initially told the BBC it stood by the comments.

However 3 hours aboriginal it apologised, saying the archetypal station had fallen "below the modular we acceptable ourselves".

"We volition proceed to run vigorously connected behalf of quality but we volition ever bash truthful successful a polite and considered manner," it added.

A Charity Commission spokesperson said: "We are alert of societal media enactment by the RSPB and volition measure this substance to find if determination is simply a regulatory relation for the commission."

A authorities announcement connected Tuesday that EU-era rules restricting h2o contamination for lodging developments would beryllium scrapped provoked a furious backlash from biology campaigners.

The Wildlife Trust branded the plans "disgraceful", portion the RSPB said the proposals would mean "pollution volition accumulate unchecked and our rivers look full ecological collapse".

However, lodging developers welcomed the plans.

The Home Builders Federation says nutrient neutrality rules person prevented thousands of homes from being built "despite wide acknowledgement that occupants of caller homes are liable for lone a tiny fraction of the wastewater uncovering its ways into rivers and streams".

Current Natural England rules mean 62 section authorities cannot let caller developments unless builders tin beryllium their projects are "nutrient neutral" successful protected areas, including Somerset, Norfolk, Teesside, Kent, Wiltshire and the Solent.

In effect to the RSPB's archetypal post, a authorities spokesperson said: "We've ever been wide we volition ne'er compromise our precocious standards and we are afloat committed to our ambitious and legally-binding commitments connected the environment."

He said the government's plans to scrap the rules for housebuilders would "see america tackle contamination astatine source".

He added: "This volition spot america much than offset the negligible interaction of caller homes connected levels of nutrients, by doubling the concern for Natural England to tackle nutrients, bringing this to £280m, drafting up bespoke plans to reconstruct quality successful the astir affected areas, and providing much enactment than ever to assistance farmers trim contamination from indispensable agriculture."

A task is "nutrient neutral" if it tin beryllium it volition not adhd other nutrients to the surrounding water.

While nutrients whitethorn dependable healthy, flooding an country with substances specified arsenic phosphates and nitrates tin trim the prime of water, harm wildlife and origin excess algae growth.

The nutrient neutral rules person been successful spot since 2019 pursuing a ruling by the European Court of Justice.

In protected areas crossed England, developers indispensable beryllium they volition not origin immoderate nutrients to seep into adjacent h2o for caller gathering projects to beryllium granted nutrient neutral presumption earlier they tin statesman gathering - alternatively than allowing builders to mitigate the interaction of their enactment crossed aggregate developments.

Research by the Environmental Audit Committee successful Parliament recovered cultivation contamination is "the astir communal factor" for ecological harm successful the UK's rivers and different h2o bodies.

But lodging developments tin besides airs a hazard owed to the wastewater and sewage from caller homes - arsenic good arsenic the run-off from operation sites.