Op-ed for LBT News: The £1.6tn gamble facing Andy Burnham
Archie Struthers, July 2026
The £1.6tn gamble facing Andy Burnham | LBC
The Labour Government was elected on a mandate of change, a critical pillar of which was economic growth. But in the two years since Keir Starmer took office, an essential driver of that growth has not just been overlooked, but actively damaged by political choices.
That driver is Nature. The Government’s approach to Nature and private-sector investment has been progressively weakened by decisions that have damaged confidence, innovation and investment.
Nature is critical national infrastructure. This is something we have always understood at Nattergal, a business I’ve been CEO of since 2023, dedicated to restoring degraded landscapes at scale, funded by private investment. The Government’s own most recent national security assessment highlighted this when it warned of the severe risk to global security from ecosystem collapse.
It wasn’t always going to be bad for Nature. Starmer entered No 10 with environmental ambition, noting in Labour’s 2024 manifesto that the climate and Nature crises were the single greatest challenge we face, alongside a commitment to crowd in private investment and shape Britain’s natural capital markets.
But policies implemented during Starmer’s tenure will be remembered for a failure to make proper use of private investment: undermining Biodiversity Net Gain, ignoring expert advice, and misdiagnosing the challenges facing housing and infrastructure development by blaming Nature as a blocker, while failing to address the more significant other constraints housebuilders face.
When Nature prospers, so does our society. Biodiversity Net Gain, a policy funded by the private sector, for example, is projected to generate over £90m for Nature this year, and it has already supported the creation of over 4000 jobs. A recent study by the RSPB found that investing in Nature could create 80,000 jobs and directly benefit the UK by £80bn over the next decade, as well as creating £1trn in wider benefits like improved air quality and food security.
An effective approach to Nature also has the capacity to save the Treasury many billions. A report from the Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment found that if climate change policies are implemented effectively, the public cost of mitigation could halve from £13bn–19bn a year to between £6bn–8bn. The costs keep rising the longer we procrastinate taking effective action.
The impacts of these crises are already financially visible. Flooding already costs the UK an estimated £1.2bn a year, much of it falling on households, businesses and the public purse. Nature-based solutions can lower that bill - natural flood management, for example, helps reduce flood peaks. At Nattergal, our restoration of the West Glen river, including the introduction of beavers, is already starting to slow flood waters, in turn helping reduce flooding downstream. The same cost-saving logic applies to food security, public health, and urban heat: healthier soils, better access to green space for mental and physical health, and tree cover for cooler cities all reduce future costs.
Nature investment is preventative spending and one of the best ways to make Britain more adaptive and resilient, reducing long-term costs. Further, where the public purse is used to pay for outcomes, it creates the economic incentive for the private investment that the Treasury urgently needs.
The flow of capital into British Nature isn’t what it should be. At a roundtable discussion I recently co-chaired with leading MPs, convening some of the world’s largest investors, I heard loud and clear that the Government’s flip-flopping on Nature was deterring investment. At a time when the Treasury is desperately searching for engines of growth, political leadership matters. Labour’s next leadership must not repeat the mistake of treating Nature as an obstacle to rather than an engine of growth.
So now to Andy Burnham, who has asked for 10 years to fix Britain. On Nature, that longer-term view is welcome. There is no quick overnight fix for Nature recovery; it requires policy stability, sustained investment and a clear long-term commitment.
So, how can Burnham turn things around?
First, to ensure these twin strategic crises are taken seriously, Burnham should appoint an environment secretary and an energy secretary who understand both the urgency of the situation and the true value of Britain’s natural capital. In addition, given Nature is critical national infrastructure, why is the Minister for Nature not sat within Treasury?
Second, he must understand that Nature is not a blocker to growth, but one of Britain’s most underused economic assets. The Government must send clearer signals to the market by setting out a credible and financially literate strategy for Nature markets: one that gives businesses the confidence to invest in restoration, biodiversity recovery and high-integrity Nature-based solutions.
Third, Burnham must make it easier and more compelling for businesses to invest in Nature. That means moving beyond warm words and looking at practical incentives that stimulate and support demand for ecosystem services.
In the weeks ahead, he has a decision to make: will he continue to take the country down his predecessor’s flawed path and treat Nature as a barrier to growth, or will he recognise that Nature recovery is a vital part of Britain’s growth story?
In 10 years, Britain could be showing genuine global leadership on these multi-generational crises, could have delivered on our 30x30 commitments, and got significant private capital flowing into Nature restoration. This would help transform our land use and rural communities and bring the jobs, resilience and prosperity that investment in Nature generates. But that depends on the choices Burnham makes now.