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As it happenedended

Brexit second referendum – as it happened: Nigel Farage and Arron Banks make surprise call for another vote

Senior figures in Leave campaign say another Brexit poll might be needed to 'settle issue for a generation'

Benjamin Kentish
Political Correspondent
Thursday 11 January 2018 09:53 GMT
Comments
Theresa May: 'In the UK alone, the amount of single-use plastic wasted every year would fill 1,000 Royal Albert Halls'

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Theresa May has delivered a landmark speech on the environment in which she laid out the Government's 25-year plan for reducing waste and tackling climate change.

The Prime Minister pledged to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042, alongside a range of other measures, but environmental groups said the plan lacks "urgency, detail and bite".

Also included in the Government's strategy are a £7bn fund for "plastics innovation" and plans to encourage supermarkets to set up plastic-free aisles.

Elsewhere, Boris Johnson will use a meeting with the Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, to raise the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The British mother has been imprisoned in Iran since April 2016. And new analysis commissioned by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, showed a no deal Brexit could cost the UK economy up to £50bn.

Kristin Hugo11 January 2018 09:44

Meanwhile Damian Hinds, Ms Greening's successor, has this morning been tipped as a future Tory leader. Both Michael Gove and Nick Timothy said they thought he had the qualities to lead the party. More from Joe Watts here:

Kristin Hugo11 January 2018 10:10

Breaking...

Here are ten words I never thought I'd write: Nigel Farage has backed calls for a second EU referendum.

Yes you read that right.

The former Ukip leader and arch Brexiteer told Channel 5's The Wright Stuff: "Maybe, just maybe, I'm reaching the point of thinking that we should have a second referendum on EU membership.

"I think if we had a second referendum on EU membership we'd kill it off for a generation. The percentage that would vote to leave next time would be very much bigger than it was last time round."

An unexpected intervention, to say the least...

Kristin Hugo11 January 2018 10:18

Theresa May's landmark speech on the environment is about to get underway in West London. The Prime Minister is speaking at the London Wetlands Centre, where she'll be laying out the Government's 25-year environment strategy...

Kristin Hugo11 January 2018 10:36

Theresa May says the Conservatives are committed to making ours "the first generation to leave the natural environment in a better state than we found it".

She adds: "Our mission is to build a country where the next generation can enjoy a better life than the one that went before it."

Kristin Hugo11 January 2018 10:40

Continuing her theme of protecting the planet for the next generation, Ms May says: "Making good on the promise that each new generation should be able to build a better future is a fundamental Conservative princple.

"Conservativism and conservation are natural allies."

Kristin Hugo11 January 2018 10:42

The Prime Minister is arguing that the state must play a key role in protecting the environment and developing new, green technologies:

"Where Government needs to intervene to ensure high standards are met, we will not hesitate to do so."

Kristin Hugo11 January 2018 10:48

"We will use the opportunity Brexit provides to strengthen and enhance our environmental protections - not to weaken them."

Kristin Hugo11 January 2018 10:51

Ms May has spent the first 20 minutes of her speech explaining what the Government is already doing on environmental issues, including banning microbeads, clamping down on chemicals that harm bees and working with other countries to stop the ivory trade.

Kristin Hugo11 January 2018 10:53

The Prime Minister pays tribute to the BBC for its Blue Planet 2 programme and the Daily Mail for its "tireless campaigning on this issue".

Kristin Hugo11 January 2018 10:55

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