Just weeks away from the UN Climate Summit, COP28, in December 2023, the King’s speech on 7 November 2023 was an opportunity for the government to set out a clear vision for a greener future. Instead, with one of the lightest legislative programmes in a decade, the government missed a vital opportunity to set out a positive agenda that delivers for people and planet.

In this briefing we outline what was said and, crucially, what was not said but should have been, to make progress on the environment and nature.