Divergence, Dismantling and Contestation: Brexit and the Repoliticisation of UK Environmental Governance

Brexit has profoundly destabilised the UK's environmental policy sector and introduced a high level of uncertainty about the future scope and direction of environmental policy goals. We face the prospect of growing divergence across the devolved nations of the UK, potential deregulation and weakening of policy, as well as increased competition between parties over environmental policy goals. Policy-makers, environmental nongovernmental organisations (ENGOs) and businesses need information on the current policy terrain in order to determine where there is scope and demand for change or continuity. This project will provide clear options for policy-makers and stakeholders by gathering views about how the sector should develop in future and will provide a series of scenarios laying out how it could develop by mapping out the possible future contours of governance.

The project therefore aims:
To develop for policymakers and stakeholders scenarios for future models of environmental governance in the UK, with a particular focus upon the devolution implications arising for environmental policy.
To identify and account for patterns of change and stability in environmental policy post-Brexit.

We will engage with a wide range of stakeholders and policy-makers across the devolved regions of the UK including key members of parliamentary select committees from Westminster, and the devolved legislatures, members of national and devolved administrations, NGO respondents, leaders of industry associations and key affected sectors. We will engage with these stakeholders in Consultation Events held in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and London. We will also interview key actors in order to attain their views on the key risks and opportunities arising from Brexit and their preferences for the design of future policy.

These engagement activities will be used to develop the following publications to inform policy debates.

1) Scenarios for Future Environmental Governance in the UK. These documents will map current governance arrangements, taking into account multi-level governance structures (from international through to local) legal context, administrative infrastructure and capacity, and areas of possible divergence. Different models for future governance will be outlined along with the main opportunities and risks associated with each. We will develop four versions of this document. One for each devolved state (Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) and one for the UK.

2) Policy Briefs. These short policy specific briefs will outline the current legal context, the scope for policy development, and the main risks and opportunities in key sectors including air quality, chemicals, climate and energy policy, GMOs, nature, waste, and water policy. They will be made available on-line and in hard copy. The briefs will be regularly released throughout the project (every two months) or subject to emerging demand.

3) Blogs and Articles. We will develop a mix of short and longer articles and blog postings over the course of project, with planned blogs and articles on specific issues (coinciding with stakeholder meetings and publication of policy briefs) and ad hoc blogs to respond to events as they emerge.

In addition to writing for a policy audience we will develop three academic publications. The first will explain how Brexit has disrupted the traditional approach to policy-making in the UK, the second will map out the legal implications of possible changes post Brexit, and finally we will use our findings to contribute to debates about the factors that drive or hinder policy change.

The project team has a strong track record in the field: we have contributed evidence to legislative enquiries on the impact of Brexit and been invited to act as expert witnesses by the House of Commons, House of Lords, and the Welsh Assembly. We have an established network of stakeholders upon which we can draw and will further develop.

This research will benefit three key groups:
1)Policy-makers in the UK and beyond who need detailed information about the implications of Brexit for the future of domestic, European and international environmental policy. This group includes ministerial teams and their advisors, members of relevant legislative committees and their support staff in the devolved administrations and Westminster, the European Parliament and the European Commission.
2)Environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) who are concerned about whether and how the repatriation of environmental policy will lead to weaker standards and enforcement but are equally keen to develop UK-led policy innovation.
3)The Business Community. A range of businesses and industrial concerns including environmental consultants, water industries, energy and chemical companies, and manufacturers will be affected by the Brexit process and there is a strong desire for clearer policy specific information on the current state of play and possible models for future policy. Here a key concern is the need for clarity and certainty about the policy framework in order to plan future investment.

Our group has relevant experience of effectively communicating research findings to a policy audience and in achieving impact through UKiCE funded work conducted during the referendum campaign. We have an established network involving all three groups of beneficiaries. Since the vote to leave the EU these beneficiaries have expressed a clear desire for detailed information about the implications of Brexit for the UK's environmental sector and for future policy options. We intend to fulfil these needs by providing:-

1)Scenarios for Future Environmental Governance in the UK
We will provide information on the implications of Brexit for future environmental governance, with a particular focus upon the devolved nations. These policy-facing scenarios will outline possible models for organising environmental governance in a devolved post-Brexit UK.

2)Detailed policy specific briefs outlining the way in which key sectors will be affected. These short policy specific briefs will focus on individual policy sectors and be published bi-monthly. Each brief will outline the current legal context, the scope for policy development, and the main risks and opportunities in the sector under review. They will cover Air, Climate, Chemicals, GMOs, Nature, Waste and Water.

We will engage directly with stakeholders and policy-makers via consultation events at which they can engage with us and each other to discuss the implications of Brexit for their relevant fields. This kind of deliberation will enable us to design outputs that meet stakeholder needs and will also create a space in which to bring together key stakeholders with policy-makers to identify their main concerns. To ensure that we meet the needs of policy-makers and stakeholders from across the UK and to avoid London-centric bias we will hold consultation events in the four UK capitals and devise nation-specific briefs (one each for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and UK-wide). We will also launch our policy scenarios in the four capitals to maintain our engagement with key stakeholders.

We have a clear dissemination strategy built upon the use of social media and internet platforms, which we will use strategically to blog about our work and to highlight publications. In addition we will engage directly with existing contacts in ENGOs business and parliamentary communities to bring our work to their attention and to ensure our work has policy relevance, for example through submitting parliamentary evidence and responding to consultations. Jordan is working with the Greener UK alliance and will be a key interlocutor between the project and this community. We have also appointed an advisory board with key personnel who will guide the project to ensure it remains relevant and useful for key stakeholders.