In the excitement over who might be elected or re-elected to the Westminster parliament on 12 December we should just note those former MPs who are not standing for re-election. There are quite a lot of them – 76 in all.
This includes four former DEFRA ministers: Caroline Spelman (a good Secretary of State), Richard Benyon (a not bad Parliamentary Under Secretary) and Rory Stewart (a relatively hopeless Parliamentary Under Secretary). All three of them, if they remained in parliament, would make the Conservative Party a nicer party, but they and many of their moderate colleagues (such as Alistair Burt, Oliver Letwin, Heidi Allen and Ken Clarke) have now gone. And the fourth ex-DEFRA minister leaving is the Labour farming minister under the Brown government, Jim Fitzpatrick.
Some big names less closely related to environmental matters who have stood down include Speaker Bercow of course but also Vince Cable and Norman Lamb from the LibDems, Tom Watson and Kate Hoey from Labour, Lady Herman from Northern Ireland (Independent) and Ed Vaizey, Nicholas Soames, David Lidington and Nicky Morgan from the Conservatives.
Do you remember that some MPs have been selected by our NGOs to be species champions for threatened species – if not click here? Five of them are leaving voluntarily: Richard Benyon (Snake’s Head Fritillary), Peter Heaton-Jones (Greater Horseshoe Bat), Nick Herbert (Lapwing), Norman Lamb (Fen Orchid) and Claire Perry (Broken-belted Bumblebee). I reckon there will be another five or so who lose their seats too.
From the outside, where most of us are, it is difficult to discern the advantage to the particular species from their associations with these MPs. A search of any of their names with their species is as likely to bring up my blog on the subject as it is to discover any other activity. This might be that there is a lot going on below the surface – but I wonder.
If this twinning scheme is delivering real benefits then they are a bit hidden from me (and I guess you). So the offer is open for any former MP not seeking reelection or any NGO involved with the scheme to write a Guest Blog on the successes of the Westminster species champion role. Some MPs involved will be far too busy seeking re-election to have the time to think about that offer.
[registration_form]
As I recall, it was Buglife that launched the initiative inviting MPs to champion individual wild species, but the RSPB quickly came on board.
Despite misgivings that they might be seeking to ‘greenwash’ their reputations, it seemed a solid idea and it was disappointing that, after the initial well-publicised flurry, the charities didn’t seek to ‘recruit’ further species champions.
There were plenty of potential candidates, but the project just seemed to disintegrate.
Here’s hoping it will be revived in the next parliament.
Are any of the prospective parliamentary returnees referring to their species nominations in their current campaign literature?
Incidentally, plaudits to the Brummie MP Jess Phillips! While most of her Commons colleagues opted for iconic species such as puffin, barn owl, bittern, etc, she chose the humble dunnock.
I was impressed, too, by the Lincolnshire MP, Matt Warman, who chose the redshank and actually put in a volunteering shift at his local RSPB reserve at Frampton Marsh.
James – well, I didn’t know about Matt Warman – good for him. The Dunnock does have a very intresting sex life of course (Remarkable birds by MarkA very is one place to find out more….)
Thanks Mark and James
The Species Champions scheme continues to provide a useful way of ensuring that debates in the House of Commons are more informed about the needs of species than would otherwise be the case (not forgetting there are also species champions in the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly).
The numbers of English Species Champions has steadily risen to 56 at the end of the last Parliament. There is a limit to how many champions each wildlife NGO partner can effectively support, but we are hoping to expand this a little next year by bringing on some new partner NGOs.
Last year the work of the Species Champions featured in the media 68 times (twice as often as in 2018). Species Champions continue to regularly bring their experience into parliamentary debates, for instance two MPs mentioned their Species Champion roles in the debate on the Queen’s speech.
In October the Species Champion awards recognised the work of MPs helping to save species. Among the winners was Angela Smith, MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge and Hen harrier Species Champion, who won the Muddy Welly Award for helping to restore peat bog habitat at RSPB Dove Stone in the Peak District and drawing attention to the importance of peat bogs for climate change mitigation and hen harriers. More on the awards here – https://community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/rspb-england/posts/awards-for-mps-species-saving-work
Getting a blog from an MP to reflect on the scheme and their role and experiences is a great idea!
Best wishes
Matt
Matt – such a blog would be most werlcome.
P.S. Actually 59 MP Species Champs by the end of the Parliament I am corrected.
Thanks, Matt, for that insider info – very enlightening and encouraging. And keep up the good work at Buglife!
Is there a list anywhere of all 59 species champions?
And thanks, Mark, for your reminder of the X-rated activities of the dunnock – not something you would want to watch on the front lawn in the company of the in-laws and the grandchildren.
I hope Jess Phillips was suitably forewarned.
Hopefully your book won’t fall into the hands of the police or you’ll probably be arrested and prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act.