The Conservatives scrap Environment Agency in a sweeping deregulatory agenda that also targets Natural England and several planning obligations tied to affordable housing and community services, according to senior party figures briefing Monday’s conference announcements.
Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith is set to argue the party will streamline regulations that protect nature and require developers to include affordable homes and facilities such as GP surgeries, saying the changes are aimed at accelerating infrastructure and housebuilding.
Conservatives scrap Environment Agency and Natural England
Party leaders will pledge to abolish Natural England and the Environment Agency, saying key environmental functions would move into the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in a more “streamlined” framework. Conservative strategists say the shift is part of a broader refocus on economic growth after a week in which Labour leaders Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey put limited emphasis on growth at their conference.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch on Sunday released The Right Way, a policy tract she said would guide the party’s platform ahead of the next election. Inspired by Margaret Thatcher’s 1976 pamphlet The Right Approach, Badenoch said the party expects to compete to win and must be ready to “hit the ground running.” She argued Labour lacks a clear plan and said the Conservatives must be different from both Labour and the party of two years ago.
Housing rules, costs and a new developer levy
Conference proposals include scrapping net zero-related building standards, including the Future Homes Standard that requires new homes in England to be zero-carbon ready. The party claims its housing package could reduce the price of a new home by £50,000.
It also plans to replace section 106 agreements and the community infrastructure levy, which currently mandate affordable housing contributions and local support for schools and health services. In their place, Griffith will outline a single “one stop” levy on developers.
Party officials say Natural England and the Environment Agency are blocking too many homes and adding unnecessary costs. They argue that eliminating the two arms-length bodies, while retaining essential duties inside Defra, will simplify oversight without weakening protections.
Heathrow expansion and planning challenges
Griffith will reaffirm support for expanding Heathrow, urging faster progress on a third runway and criticizing timelines that stretch into the 2040s. He will also say the party intends to leave the Aarhus convention, which lowers the barriers for community groups to challenge developments.
In his first speech as shadow chancellor, Griffith will frame the plans as a hard-headed bid to revive growth, promising cheaper homes, lower taxes and fewer regulations, and describing the effort as the most ambitious deregulation drive in a generation.
Tax simplification and party positioning
Shadow Treasury ministers will be tasked with options to simplify taxes for individuals and businesses. Griffith is expected to describe the current tax code as a “cat’s cradle of complexity” and to promise a line-by-line plan for bills and regulations.
New shadow housing secretary Katie Lam will argue that scrapping certain housing rules and enforcement structures would prevent what she called “anti-growth ideologues” from stalling the economy. Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has recently expressed personal scepticism about a third Heathrow runway, saying he would weigh differing views.
Badenoch’s team believes the policy turn could help the party regain ground against Labour and Reform UK, with polling still placing the Conservatives third. The Monday announcements are intended to sharpen the party’s economic message as it heads toward the next election.
