Parliamentarians call for Minister for the Ocean position in Government in an open letter to Prime Minister Liz Truss

In an open letter sent to the new Prime Minister Liz Truss, a group of 29 cross-party parliamentarians have requested that as one of the first actions in her new role, Truss considers creating a position for the Minister for the Ocean in Government. The letter asks that a standalone Ministerial position, dedicated to all ocean issues, is created in order to “further establish the UK as a global leader in ocean protection, conservation and research.”

The open letter references three key reasons as to why it is crucial that the Minister for the Ocean role is created in Prime Minister Liz Truss’s new Government.

Firstly, despite the vast importance of the ocean, and its relationship to several important policy areas including climate change, shipping, energy, research, defence, fishing and more, there is currently no standalone Minister for the Ocean role in the UK. The letter therefore calls for a “separate Minister position with direct and exclusive responsibility for all ocean issues” to fill this Ministerial gap.

Secondly, the letter highlights immediate policies related to the ocean which could be delivered by a specific Minister. These include climate change, but also wider issues such as marine military territory and green shipping.

Finally, the letter calls for a Minister for the Ocean position to be created in order to deliver an “integrated UK ocean strategy”, similar to what has been achieved already in space strategy. To ensure that the UK remains world leading in ocean research and conservation, which would include the UK meeting Global Ocean Alliance’s 30×30 target to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030, the letter highlights the need for a standalone Minister to take direct responsibility on this campaign.

Sally-Ann Hart MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Ocean, said:
“As Chair of the APPG for the Ocean, I am pleased to sign this open letter to the new Prime Minister Liz Truss, which calls for a distinct Minister for the Ocean role to be created.

I am delighted that nearly 30 cross-party parliamentarians have also signed this letter, which highlights the important reasons for this role to be created and shows the impact a Minister for the Ocean can have on a range of policy issues, including climate change, energy and shipping.

I hope that Prime Minister Liz Truss recognises the necessity of this position and prioritises it as one of the first actions in her new role.”