UK falling behind EU on environmental rules amid post-Brexit rollback

Exclusive: Labour ministers choosing to weaken green protections inherited from the bloc, analysis revealsFrom clean air to pesticides: how UK has lagged behind EU on the environmentThe UK is using Brexit to weaken crucial environmental protections and is falling behind the EU despite Labour's manifesto pledge not to dilute standards, analysis has found.Experts have said ministers are choosing to use Brexit to "actively go backwards" in some cases, though there are also areas where the UK has improved nature laws such as by banning sand eel fishing.The planning and infrastructure bill, which overrides the EU's habitats directive and allows developers to pay into a general nature fund rather than keeping or creating new habitat nearby to make up for what is destroyed.The UK falling behind on water policy, with the EU implementing stronger legislation to clean rivers of chemicals and microplastics and making polluters pay to clean up.Air pollution, as the EU is legislating to clean up the air while the UK has removed EU air pollution laws from the statute book.Recycling and the circular economy, as the EU enforces strict new standards for designer goods that could leave the UK as a "dumping ground" for substandard, hard-to-recycle products. Continue reading...