The decision to expand Heathrow is just the latest evidence that my party is chasing policies that serve profit, not people
Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s recent “big growth agenda” speech wasn’t just the expression of a vision for the economy. It was also a warning shot to wavering Labour MPs. The message was blunt: get on board with the government’s economic strategy or step aside. Growth, we were told, is the non-negotiable mission.
This was not a sudden shift but a reaffirmation of her stance at Davos, where she made clear that “the answer can’t always be no”. That answer, now firmly codified, prioritises GDP growth above all else. Heathrow airport expansion is in; net zero, bats and newts are out. The promise? A revitalised economy, busy high streets and more bobbies on the beat – a Labour-friendly vision of progress designed to bolster morale and stuff leaflets with “good news” ahead of the next election.
Clive Lewis is the Labour MP for Norwich South
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
01/31/2025 - 03:00
01/31/2025 - 03:00
The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world
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01/31/2025 - 01:00
Minister to announce consultation that will exclude certain areas from housing, solar panels and onshore wind
Valuable farmland will be protected from housing, solar panels and onshore wind under a new land use framework, the government has announced.
The environment secretary, Steve Reed, will announce a consultation into how the limited land in England should be used and where is best to farm, restore nature or build infrastructure.
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01/30/2025 - 17:30
Tiny plastic pollution more than 50% higher in placentas from preterm births than in those from full-term births
A study has found microplastic and nanoplastic pollution to be significantly higher in placentas from premature births than in those from full-term births.
The levels were much higher than previously detected in blood, suggesting the tiny plastic particles were accumulating in the placenta. But the higher average levels found in the shorter pregnancies were a “big surprise” for the researchers, as longer terms could be expected to lead to more accumulation.
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01/30/2025 - 14:08
The UK's peatlands face an uncertain future amid the escalating impacts of climate change. Peatlands are critical ecosystems for carbon storage and biodiversity, containing more carbon than all the world's forests despite covering just 3% of the global land surface. But new research reveals that vast areas of the UK's peatlands, including the Flow Country UNESCO World Heritage Site, are likely to be unsuitable for peat accumulation by 2061-80 due to climate change.
01/30/2025 - 14:05
It's not always cozy and warm in the Amazon rainforest: Cold waves can cause temperatures to drop drastically. Researchers have investigated how animals react to this.
01/30/2025 - 14:05
Sharks and rays have populated the world's oceans for around 450 million years, but more than a third of the species living today are severely threatened by overfishing and the loss of their habitat. Palaeobiologists have now investigated whether and how global warming influences the diversity of sharks based on climate fluctuations between 200 and 66 million years ago. According to the study, higher temperatures and more shallow water areas have a positive effect, while higher CO2 levels have a clearly negative effect.
01/30/2025 - 13:53
The productivity of cacao trees decreases with time, forcing farmers to renew their plantations by either cutting down the old trees or establishing a new crop elsewhere. Frequently, new plantations are established in areas of the forest that are thinned out to accommodate new, young cacao trees. However, this comes with high economic and ecological costs. An alternative approach is to graft highly productive and native cultivars onto the existing older cacao trees. An international team found that cacao grafting is a useful measure to rejuvenate cacao plants, increasing their yield and profits with minimal impact on biodiversity.
01/30/2025 - 13:24
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01/30/2025 - 10:30
Officials are making clean-energy moves in California, New York and beyond, and Republican states will be integral too
As the Trump administration rolls back decades-old environmental protections and pulls Biden-era incentives for renewable energy, state-level advocates and officials are preparing to fill the void in climate action.
Some state leaders are preparing to legally challenge the president’s environmental rollbacks, while others are testifying against them in Congress. Meanwhile, advocates are pushing for states to meet their ambitious climate goals using methods and technologies that don’t require federal support.
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