Making #SpaceForWater: What the parliamentary backbench debate achieved — and where we go next
Tessa Wardley, Director of Communications and Advocacy at The Rivers Trust, shares her analysis of the key moment in the Making Space for Water campaign.
05/02/26
Last week's parliamentary debate, sponsored by Lloyd Hatton MP, on protecting and restoring river habitats marked a major milestone for the Making Space for Water campaign, which calls for government to support creating and maintaining nature-rich river corridors. It was one of the clearest signs yet that Parliament is waking up to the scale of the challenge facing our rivers — and to the power of nature-based solutions in tackling flooding, restoring biodiversity and building climate resilience.
MPs from across the political spectrum, including Minister Emma Hardy MP and Ellie Chowns MP, spoke powerfully about the state of our rivers and why their restoration is one of the most urgent environmental challenges we face. The Making Space for Water campaign was referenced 15 times, and our policy briefings were used extensively throughout the debate. Many MPs posed our questions and reiterated our recommendations, demonstrating their strong engagement and genuine alignment with our vision.
This debate is the latest moment in a campaign lead by the Riverscapes Partnership (The Rivers Trust, National Trust, The Woodland Trust, and Beaver Trust), supported by the River Restoration Centre, The Wildlife Trusts, and a coalition of over 40 farming, recreation, and environmental groups. The messages from the campaign clearly resonate with many, as over 10,000 people signed the campaign petition in 2025, which called for the Westminster government to provide funding for this much-needed riparian restoration work. Alongside this, the campaign has attracted a growing number of cross-party MPs whose constituents recognise the importance of their local rivers and river corridors, many of whom signed a campaign letter to the Prime Minister in October. This reflects the growing recognition that river restoration is not a niche environmental issue — it is central to the UK’s climate, nature and water security.
What we heard — and what’s still missing
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Water and Flooding, Minister Emma Hardy MP, reaffirmed her support for Making Space for Water and spoke positively about restoring wetlands, reconnecting floodplains and improving river corridors. Both she and Lloyd Hatton MP recognised and enthused about the power of beavers (in the right places) as ecosystem engineers to help landscapes hold more water. However, her support remains largely ‘in principle’, and several key questions remain unanswered:
- She deferred all Environmental Land Management (ELM) details — including incentives for river corridors — to Farming Minister Angela Eagle MP.
- She highlighted 56 Landscape Recovery development grants but did not clarify how much of the £500m LR budget will support river corridor restoration.
- She praised nature-based solutions but did not commit to embedding them at the core of the Water Reform Bill.
- She did not endorse an overarching national river corridor network, one of Making Space for Water’s central asks.
In short, we saw strong rhetoric in the room, but the detail for how we deliver remains unresolved, and those gaps give us a clear mandate for what comes next.
Where we go next: turning momentum into commitments
The debate has created a window of opportunity — and we intend to use it. We will set out our assessment of the Government’s current position and highlight where stronger commitments are urgently needed. We will invite all MPs who spoke in the debate to sign, ensuring continued parliamentary pressure.
Given the split in responsibilities, we will pursue parallel engagement with Ministers Hardy and Eagle to secure clarity on ELMs, Landscape Recovery funding, and the Water Reform Bill’s approach to nature-based solutions.
Where detail is missing, we will press for transparency — particularly on funding allocations, modelling behind ELMs, and the Government’s commitment to a national river corridor network.
With major policy announcements expected soon, we will adapt our approach in real time, ensuring MS4W remains proactive, visible and influential.
A turning point for river restoration
This debate was more than a moment of recognition — it was a signal that the political appetite for nature-rich river corridors is growing fast. The challenge now is to convert that appetite into action.
With coordinated pressure, strong evidence and a united coalition, we can ensure that Making Space for Water becomes not just a campaign, but a national commitment to restoring the arteries of our landscape.
How you can get involved
To find out more about the Making Space for Water campaign and to sign up for updates or to register your organisation as a campaign supporter, head to www.makingspaceforwater.com.
You can play your part by writing to your MP to help build support for the campaign. Voice your support, link to the campaign webpage, and share your personal connection to rivers or the campaign for the best chance of making an impact in a busy inbox.
Additional notes
The debate took place at 15:00, on Thursday 29th January at Westminster Hall, watch the full session here: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/2e935206-1db8-419d-a1d7-68f3dab28239?in=15:01:19
Attendees included:
- Lloyd Hatton MP, Labour, South Dorset and MP Sponsor
- Minister Emma Hardy MP, Labour, Defra Water Minister
- Ellie Chowns MP, Green, North Herefordshire
- Barry Gardiner MP, Labour Brent West
- Tom Hayes MP, Labour, Bournemouth East
- Chris Hinchcliff MP, Labour, North East Hertfordshire
- Sir Ashley Fox MP, Conservative, Bridgwater
- Rachel Gilmour MP, Liberal Democrat, Tiverton and Minehead
- Richard Foord MP, Liberal Democrat, Honiton and Sidmouth
- Jim Shannon MP, DUP, Strangford