Dear John,

Can you remember what you were doing this time last year? For once I can, because 4 July was the UK general election and I was glued to the news.

A lot has happened since Labour’s landslide victory. Globally, 2024 ended up being the hottest year on record, with dire warnings of the extreme weather today’s children will face throughout their lives. Nature too has been pushed closer to the brink.

Yet back home the climate-denying Reform party has been on the rise. And the leader of the Conservatives seems to have given up on her own party’s legally binding climate targets.

But what about last year’s winners, Labour? We’ve teamed up with Greenpeace to assess their first year in office. I’d like to do a quick poll to see how you rate their efforts to tackle the climate and nature emergencies too. We’ll let you know the results in our July newsletter.

Our assessment of Labour’s first year in office covers 4 main areas: climate and energy, nature and the environment, homes and transport, and justice and democracy.

Admittedly, judging a new government after a year is akin to judging a football team halfway through the first half. It isn’t entirely fair. But with the climate and nature emergencies so pressing, it’s vital to keep a very close watch on how they’re doing.

So please take a look at our year-1 assessment. Overall we don’t think it’s been a dreadful start, but there are also some very worrying signs. And a lot more to do.

Thanks for reading,

Rachel,

Campaigner, Friends of the Earth