Parliamentary BASC Bird Box Initiative
Jak Abrahams
A week is a long time in politics. Last year when I launched the parliamentary BASC bird box initiative to highlight our commitment to conservation, it would have been impossible to predict the political turmoil that we were about to endure: Brexit chaos, a general election, and the ever-looming threat of further changes to the general licences.
Parliamentary BASC bird box initiative
The initiative aimed to strengthen political engagement with MPs and formed part of BASC’s political approach.
The parliamentary BASC bird box initiative provided that foot through the door. I would meet with them and donate a BASC bird box to aid songbird conservation in their region.
With this initiative, we hoped to connect with politicians who wouldn’t necessarily have an existing affiliation with BASC, or who may not already have a basic understanding of the vital work we and our members do.
Promoting the benefits of shooting and conservation
I met several MPs in their constituencies (both rural and urban), highlighting the great work BASC’s 155,000 members undertake in every corner of the UK. The message was clear – no matter the constituency, there is always a need to support conservation.
This mission has taken me nationwide – from a castle in Hastings to meet former Home Secretary Amber Rudd, to a golf club in West Bromwich with the former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Tom Watson. One thing we didn’t anticipate when undertaking this initiative was how many parliamentarians would now be ‘former’.
The campaign was an immediate success. It allowed the political affairs team to travel all over the country meeting cabinet members and leaders of different political parties, to espouse the work the organisation is doing and to champion sustainable shooting and conservation.
BASC bird boxes in all corners of the UK
BASC is committed to continual cross-party engagement, and the parliamentary BASC bird box initiative is just one of the many ways the political affairs team engage with politicians every week.
Parliamentarians involved in the initiative include both current and shadow Secretaries of State and Ministers, as well as a range of backbench MPs.
Some of the politicians who have backed the initiative include:
- Sir Vince Cable MP, Former Leader of the Liberal Democrats
- Jacob Rees-Mogg MP, Leader of the House of Commons
- Nigel Huddleston MP, Minister for Sport Culture and Heritage
- Diane Abbot MP, Former Shadow Home Secretary
- Emily Thornberry MP, Former Shadow Foreign Secretary
- Steve Barclay MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury
- Amber Rudd, Former Home Secretary
- Esther McVey MP, Housing Minister
- Tom Watson, Former Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
- Amanda Milling MP, Chairman of the Conservatives
- Sue Hayman MP, Former Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- David Drew, Former Shadow Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The BASC bird box initiative is another step in our parliamentary engagement. With owl boxes and bee hotels in production and a new offering to get MPs visiting shoots and trade members in their constituencies, the political team have a busy couple of months ahead.
