Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to support the inclusion of strong measures in the Global Plastics Treaty to reduce plastic pollution and protect marine ecosystems.

For too long, plastic has littered our ocean and threatened our wildlife. We urgently need an ambitious and effective international agreement to end plastic pollution by 2040.

The United Kingdom has been a leading voice in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee and as a founding member of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution (HAC), the UK is committed to achieving an ambitious treaty. Negotiations will resume in August with the aim of concluding negotiations on a new treaty. The UK is working with other countries, including allies in the HAC to achieve this.