Campaigners from St Albans and Harpenden have secured a significant victory in their fight for corporate accountability, winning the support of their local MPs for a proposed law designed to protect people and the environment from corporate harm.
Members of the St Albans District Friends of the Earth met with Daisy Cooper MP and Victoria Collins MP in Westminster as part of the nationwide “Good Business Matters” mass lobby. The campaign, which seeks the introduction of a robust Business, Human Rights and Environment Act, aims to close the legal loopholes that currently allow companies to operate with impunity in their global supply chains.
The lobbying effort, coordinated by the Corporate Justice Coalition—an alliance of 70 organizations including Friends of the Earth, ActionAid, and the TUC—has seen grassroots activists and concerned citizens descend on Parliament to demand legislative change.
For Daisy Cooper MP, the meeting reaffirmed a commitment already made to the cause; she has agreed to delve deeper into the proposed legislation and pursue further action. Victoria Collins MP, who had not previously pledged support, formally backed the campaign following direct dialogue with the Harpenden-based campaigners.
The urgency for this legislation stems from the lack of a legal framework to hold UK-linked companies accountable for overseas abuses. Current corporate activities are frequently associated with severe environmental damage, such as large-scale deforestation and pollution, alongside human rights violations, including exploitative labor practices and the forced displacement of local communities from their lands.
Proponents of the law argue that the UK is falling behind its European neighbors, many of whom have already implemented, or are in the process of drafting, mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence legislation.
The campaign is gaining momentum beyond the activist sphere. To date, more than 90 MPs and Peers have signed the Good Business Matters pledge. Perhaps most notably, the call for reform is also backed by 50 leading businesses, including major retailers like Sainsbury’s, Primark, and ASOS. These companies are advocating for a new law to “level the playing field,” ensuring that responsible businesses are not undermined by those continuing to profit from unethical practices. Public sentiment also appears firmly behind the push, with polls suggesting over 80 per cent of the population would support such a legislative measure.
Amanda Yorwerth, coordinator for St Albans District Friends of the Earth, expressed her optimism following the successful lobby.
“We’re thrilled that Daisy Cooper MP and Victoria Collins MP turned out to throw their weight behind this vital campaign—one that seeks to rebalance the scales so that corporate interests aren’t treated as more important than people’s lives or our precious environment,” Yorwerth said.
“For too long, companies have got away with polluting and trashing the environment, or sidelining communities—often the two go hand-in-hand. With even more Parliamentarians now on board, and with the backing of big business and the public, it’s hard to see how the Government can go on ignoring how desperately we need a new Business, Human Rights and Environment Act.”
As the campaign enters its next phase, the focus shifts to maintaining pressure on the Government to prioritize the bill. For the activists in St Albans and Harpenden, the support of their local representatives marks a crucial step toward ensuring that corporate conduct is held to a standard that respects both the planet and its people.
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