Attempt to protect rare chalk streams in planning bill rejected by Labour MPs

Government vetoes cross-party effort to protect threatened waterways from push to rip up environmental red tape

A cross-party attempt to protect England's rare and threatened chalk streams in the government's planning bill was rejected by Labour on Wednesday.

The attempt to give the globally rare ecosystems the strongest protections as irreplaceable habitats failed after all the Labour MPs on the parliamentary committee examining the draft law rejected an amendment containing the extra provision.