English countryside 'at risk from Boris Johnson’s planning revolution'

The prime minister's build, build, build' strategy could harm habitats and reduce wildlife protection, critics warn

The English countryside and its wildlife are at serious risk because of Boris Johnson's pledge to revolutionise the planning system, leading green groups warn today.

In a joint letter to the Observer, the organisations, which include the National Trust, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Wildlife Trusts, say wide-scale deregulation leading to lower environmental standards and less protection would be a betrayal of promises by Johnson and Michael Gove to deliver a green Brexit".