Liars, Liars, Pants On Fire

There is very little evidence that protections for nature are a blocker to development, the government has admitted in its own impact assessment of the controversial new planning and infrastructure bill.

Is that an unfortunate development? Yes, Reader...for the government:

The analysis by Whitehall officials provides no data or research to back up the government’s central argument that it is environmental legislation that holds up building.

Oh dearie me… 

Ministers say the new bill will speed up housing developments and large infrastructure projects by allowing developers to avoid meeting environmental obligations to protect habitats and species such as barn owls, otters, bats and newts, at the site of their project, by paying into a central nature recovery fund (NRF) which will be used to create environmental improvement elsewhere.

And no, Reader, that isn’t the advantage it may sound: 

Officials admit this nature improvement could be in a different county to the place where the building is taking place, raising fears it will reduce access to nature.

And with Mayor Khant determined to increase urban sprawl to pack in more of his co-religionists at the expense of clean green safeguards, it’s only going to get worse in London. But who on earth is responsible for this lie about the blockers on development anyway?

...the central reason given by the government for the new legislation, that nature is a blocker to development – promoted by prime minister Keir Starmer, chancellor Rachel Reeves and housing secretary Angela Rayner – has been undermined by the government’s own impact assessment.

Ah. Of course. Three people who couldn’t lie straight in bed.