Conservatives
Farming and food
Pledges Increase farming budget by £1 billion, with legally binding target to enhance food security; 50% of public-sector food expenditure to be on local food with high environmental standards; fast-track planning permission for farm infrastructure; invest in technology, such as for fertilisers and vertical farming; move away from reliance on migrant labour; stick up for British farmers in trade deals; tackle live-stock worrying; champion the fishing sector.
Environment
Pledges Natural England and Environment Agency to have increased accountability; invest water-company fines in river-restoration projects; legislate to tackle illegal deforestation; designate an 11th national park; support disadvantaged children in accessing green spaces; work with landowners and charities to open up more countryside access; crack down on fly-tipping; develop the deposit-return scheme.
Energy
Pledges Protect the best agricultural land from solar panels; move to a presumption of underground cabling instead of overhead pylons; reduce green levies; create new gas power stations; treble offshore wind capacity; build the first two carbon-capture and storage clusters; scale up nuclear power; invest £1.1 billion into the Green Industries Growth Accelerator; build a new gigawatt power plant at Wylfa, North Wales; reward energy firms that invest in disadvantaged places; reduce competition with less-green nations through carbon pricing; charge the Climate Change Committee with factoring in household costs.
Rural living
Deliver 1.6 million homes, as well as protecting the countryside and Green Belt; cover populated areas with ‘standalone’ 5G mobile connectivity at the same time as developing 6G; maintain Brexit Pubs Guarantee on lower beer duty; encourage dentists to rural communities through ‘golden hellos’; launch Seaside Heritage Fund;
