On 13 December 2023, the Environment APPG hosted its annual Christmas reception and awards evening, celebrating the momentous work of its parliamentary and associate members over the past 12 months.
Those at the evening heard from Nature Minister Rebecca Pow MP about the government’s progress on nature restoration and from Shadow Climate Change Minister Kerry McCarthy MP about her experiences at COP28.
Wera Hobhouse MP won the award for Environmental Champion of the Year for her extensive work on environmental issues, including working on the Energy Bill, pushing for the withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty and her proposal of the Ecology Bill.
Others receiving awards were Selaine Saxby MP (Parliamentary Campaign of the Year) for her campaigning on reusable period products, including her successful #SayPantsToTheTax campaign with M&S for the VAT to be removed on period pants; TechUK (Industry Member of the Year) for their hard work coordinating tech companies around environmental action, including their presence at COP28; Baroness Helene Hayman (Peer of the Year) for tireless campaigning on nature and climate in the House of Lords and her leadership of the Peers for the Planet caucus; and environmental Justice Foundation (Charity Member of the Year) for their successful campaign calling for the UK to back a moratorium on deep-sea mining.