Thread by @ASmallAMount

At #greenerUK #CPC18 fringe, ⁦@michaelgove⁩ in conversation with WWF’s ⁦@TanyaMSteele⁩. Needless to say, the room is creaking at the seams!

First time we’re hearing more detail on PM’s promised #environmentbill. Gove: as well as addressing #AirPollution it will tackle waste & resources to move us towards a #CircularEconomy

At the time of #climatechange Act, people were worried its ambitious targets would harm economic growth - quite the opposite has happened, says Gove #cpc18 #greenerUK

#NetZero climate target is “something we have to aim for” says Gove... though “I don’t want to preempt announcements made by people above my pay grade” #cpc18 #greeneruk

With environmental targets and goals, there’s an art of politics: pitching a level of ambition, reaching it, and then seeing if you can go further - Gove #cpc18 #greeneruk

Michael Gove is completely at ease, speaking without notes, covering all aspects of his ministerial brief in detail at #GreenerUK #cpc18 fringe event - impressive

We can see a win-win on #agriculture policy with a UK #food economy recognised the world over for its quality, and a flourishing natural environment- Gove #cpc18 #greenerUK

Shifting #agriculture spending towards public goods will mean that everyone across the country will have a stake in the future of farming and want to see it succeed - Gove

If #trade deals don’t embed high standards, we’d simply be offshoring environmental damage, Gove points out #cpc18 #greenerUK

Gove promises there will be a government #food strategy later this year. Need to think through the health & social consequences of state interventions such as subsidies @vickihird @Kath_Dalmeny #cpc18 #greeneruk

Gove hits back at recent reports such as IEA describing our high #food standards as protectionist; “I don’t think that’s so.” He would “respectfully disagree with the authors”. Consumers believe in these standards and want to see them. #cpc18 #greeneruk

Gove gently bats away “super Canada” proposals - “I want to see a super Britain deal” #cpc18 #greeneruk #brexit

Global environmental footprint considerations are important but should be in legislation dealing with #trade rather than the #environmentbill, Gove suggests #cpc18 #greenerUK

Gove hopes the #fisheries bill will shift opportunities towards smaller and more sustainable fisheries. “We can set a level of ambition we hope others will aspire to as well” #cpc18 #greenerUK

“There are some practices that other European nations deploy in our waters that we might want to see slightly less of in future” - Gove #fisheries #greeneruk #cpc18

Gove: #nodealbrexit is “not my favourite option” - that’s a pretty mild take on something that would be extremely damaging to the prospects for strong environmental policy, not to mention the economy, farming... #greeneruk #cpc18 @Minette_Batters

Gove has been struck by “the scale of the impact” on people’s lives of the issues @DefraGovUK covers, from the intimate (cotton buds) to the global #greenerUK #cpc18