The chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) has criticised the government for using official social media accounts to mock those who defend environmental safeguards. Sally Hayns described a recent post by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as a 'disgrace', accusing it of reducing environmental stewardship to an online joke.
The post, shared on X, compared environmental 'blockers' to traitors from the popular BBC show The Traitors. It was part of the government's push to frame nature protections as obstacles to its growth agenda. Hayns said the move was 'alarming' and risked inflaming culture wars while eroding public trust.
'Nature, and those who defend it, are not obstacles,' Hayns wrote in a letter responding to the post. 'They are essential to building a Britain that is both prosperous and sustainable. The environment is not a barrier to growth – and certainly not an internet meme – but the bedrock of our economy, our health and our national wellbeing.'
Hayns argued that the 'crude and dishonest campaign' against environmental protections would not build a single new home. Instead, it would further degrade the natural world that society depends on. She called on the government to stop pitting people against nature and to work with those seeking to ensure new developments benefit both the economy and the environment.
