Legislation and Governance Unit
Green Alliance’s Legislation and Governance Unit influences environmental legislation, regulation and governance and provides expert scrutiny and strategic advice to the environment sector.
Ruth Chambers
Overview
The unit continues the groundbreaking work of the Greener UK coalition, steered by Green Alliance for seven years from 2016 to 2023, which ensured vital UK environmental protections were maintained and enhanced following Brexit.
Current priorities of the unit include monitoring the implementation of the Environment Act 2021, tracking the use of powers under the Retained EU Law Act 2023 and pushing for stronger environmental law and governance in Wales and Northern Ireland.
The unit is a unique hub, offering expert knowledge sharing and detailed analysis of legislative and regulatory changes relevant to the environment, and providing detailed advice and responses to parliamentarians and officials.
For information on Greener UK, find more here.
Latest work
Why and how the government’s International Environmental Protection Report should be improved
Correspondence with the Office for Environmental Protection on forest risk commodities
Briefing for House of Lords debate on the Environmental Improvement Plan
Letter to Minister Muir on environmental governance
Blogs and podcasts
The national security assessment on ecosystem collapse is a government wake-up call
The year ahead in UK environmental policy
Does the new Environmental Improvement Plan change the game for nature recovery?
Environmental Improvement Plan makes landfall – but Starmer M.I.A
Stocktake series
Throughout 2025, we published a series of stocktakes on the state of UK environmental law five years after Brexit. These covered a range of topics, including environmental governance, chemicals regulation and trade policy.
Are we getting a good deal? UK trade policy and the environment post-BrexitImproving the UK Internal Market Act 2020Secondary legislation since Brexit and how to improve itUK-EU divergence in financial sustainability reportingProgress since Brexit on agriculture and the environmentProgress since Brexit on the water environmentThe fate of retained EU laws since BrexitCircular economy policy in the UK: a post Brexit reviewWhat has happened to British chemicals regulation since Brexit?UK fisheries policy five years after Brexit