The Climate and Nature Bill (CAN), four years in the making, would have set new legally binding targets on climate change and nature. But now it has failed the first hurdle the Commons.

The Government saw off the bill in a motion, meaning it has been ‘adjourned’ and will not return to the House of Commons until July, but is even more likely to never become law.

The bill, which was introduced by the Liberal Democrat MP Roz Savage would have required the UK to meet the targets it agreed to at COP and other international summits, but this could have implied that the Government renegotiate its international climate change agreements.

The vote exposes a schism within the party between those who see net-zero as an overriding priority and those who see the need to try and create some growth after the divisive Budget and consequent fall in polling.

Zero Hour, the campaign group behind the Climate and Nature Bill said: “We are extremely disappointed that the Government didn’t offer a free vote yesterday, so that all MPs, including the 191 CAN Bill supporting MPs, could vote with their conscience.”

Carla Denyer MP (and CAN Bill co-sponsor) said: “In the Second Reading of the Assisted Dying Bill, we heard powerful arguments about how it could be improved, but MPs voted for it to progress because there was an agreement that it warranted further scrutiny. The same applies with the CAN Bill, [which] has been going for four years, has had cross-party support throughout, [and] my position is that we [should have got] the Bill to Committee stage.”

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