A new Prime Minister. The same mandate.
This summer has seen heatwave after heatwave, forcing PM Andy Burnham to call an emergency Cobra meeting, as temperatures hit 38C and over 71% of England sat in drought. This summer is now on track to be the UK's hottest on record, and forecasters warn it won't be the last extreme weather event of the season. It's the kind of summer that makes the case for climate action pretty hard to argue with.
And this June 1.6 million of us, from every corner of the UK, made that case - loudly. Great Big Green Week brought over 10,000 events to communities across the UK. Independent analysis by More in Common found we reached across the political spectrum - and that more than half of attendees had rarely or never been to a climate event before. That's a public mandate, and it's only getting louder.
Now it's time to bring that mandate to Westminster.
What's happening?
On 3 September, MPs held the first Westminster Hall debate on the UK’s national security since this summer’s wildfires and dought - on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and what they mean for the UK's national security. It follows an assessment by the UK's intelligence services on the risks nature loss poses to our food, energy and natural world - and what the Government plans to do about it.
The debate was packed - and it was because of you. A huge thank you to the more than 9,000 others who contacted your MP ahead of the debate, asking them to push for:
➡️ A proper plan to cut emissions, restore nature and prepare for a changing climate.
➡️ Publication of the intelligence assessment on nature and security, and the Government's food security review.
➡️ A funded resilience plan, with independent oversight to ensure it's delivered.
What happened
Image: MPs after the debate at Westminster; Credit: Zero Hour
MPs pictured (back to front, L-R): Brian Mathew, Ellie Chowns, Olly Glover, Sarah Dyke, Martin Wrigley, Danny Chambers, Jeremy Corbyn, Fleur Anderson, Rachel Maskell, Chris Hinchliff, Richard Foord, Kerry McCarthy, Roz Savage, Adrian Ramsay, Neil Hudson, Julia Buckley, Toby Perkins.
MPs from across the political spectrum showed up, spoke passionately and asked important questions. Adrian Ramsay said "nature security is national security"; Barry Gardiner said effective action would mean "our energy is cheaper, our health is better, our economy is richer and our world is safer"; Roz Savage pressed the Government on "who owns this risk" and when a cross-Government action plan would follow; Neil Hudson said biodiversity is "very close to our hearts and the hearts of our constituents... crucial to national security." That's Greens, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, all making the same case in the same room.
Want to see the debate for yourself? Read the full transcript on Hansard, or watch Zero Hour's video of the key moments.
The Government has the evidence, and a public that backs action. What is needed now is a response that matches both.
Can you help keep the momentum going?
If your MP spoke at the debate, thank them - it means more than you'd think. If they didn't, or you're not sure, this is still a good moment to follow up.
We've put together a short guide with a ready-to-adapt template that takes about ten minutes to send. It helps you:
💚 Thank your MP, or follow up if they weren't there (check our guide to see if they were in attendance);
💚 Ask them to back our three calls: a plan to cut emissions and restore nature, the security and food reports published in full, and a funded, accountable National Resilience Plan;
💚 Make it local - ask them to support something happening in your community, or invite them to meet;
💚 Invite them to mark Great Big Green Week 2027 (5-13 June) with you.
Read the guide, then write to your MP→
Not sure who your MP is, or want to send your message straight away? WriteToThem.com makes it easy to find them and get in touch.
Stay in this for the long run: join our free training programme
This is one moment in a longer story of standing up for people, climate and nature - the same story that brought so many of us together during Great Big Green Week and the Mass Lobby. If you want to keep building that power alongside us, join Build. Grow. Lead. Over six months, we'll support you to build or strengthen a community group that can take action all year round and arrive at Great Big Green Week 2027 ready to make it the biggest and best yet.
Together, we've already built the power to be heard
From Great Big Green Week to the Mass Lobby, people across the UK have shown - again and again - that protecting climate and nature is a shared priority, not a fringe one. It is crucial that PM Andy Burnham's government needs to hear that clearly on every front: the mandate for a fair, clean energy future isn't going anywhere, and neither is our resolve to see it delivered.