Nine hundred and forty-seven days ago I launched the Feather Speech campaign with a petition asking government to mandate a swift brick in all new UK houses. This inexpensive, nature-friendly measure for nesting swifts and other red-list species, such as house sparrows, starlings and house martins, became the fastest growing government petition of 2023. But three years in, I have learnt a clichéd truth: whether the government ends up passing swift brick legislation to save a 50-million-year-old species from national extinction will have nothing to do with birds. Their decision will be based on political gain, or the prevention of political loss.
Stop for a moment and consider that the handful of people making the decision on behalf of their political parties – on behalf of us – will not assess swift bricks on the birds’ fundamental need for them or the benefits to homeowners of attracting birds that come back year after year. Any sentient human being would think: “Yeah, obviously, the birds can’t stabilise their rapidly declining populations if they can’t breed. We should secure cavity nesting habitat for birds reliant on our buildings to breed, especially since the government’s Great British Insulation Scheme spends 61% of its £1 billion budget blocking wall cavities, inadvertently destroying nesting sites without any mitigation for that loss. Oh, and especially since the non-compliance of developers installing bird boxes when stipulated by their LPAs is 75%. Thanks, Hannah and the half a million people who have signed swift brick petitions to draw this logical proposal to our attention. Thanks, NGOs and Natural England for providing evidence to show it’s viable and urgent. You’re right, this would contribute to targets set out in The Environment Act to halt biodiversity loss by 2030. And yes, specific measures have been incorporated into Building Regulations to implement targets set out in other primary legislation so actually, it is a bloody brilliant idea to incorporate swift bricks into Building Regs. There is a specific British standard for swift bricks and hey, special, oversized bricks with holes in them (air bricks) have already been incorporated into Building Regs and they didn’t mess anything up. What an easy win!”
But the politicians don’t say that. They just say “no”.
This week, the government will vote on the swift brick amendment to The Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Despite their stated commitment to “build with nature in mind” and their 2023 vote to approve the same amendment, last month they voted against it. The next round will be in the House of Lords, where Conservatives have the majority.
Don’t leave it to me. I am a solo, unfunded campaigner. The birds and I need your help
When the government’s U-turn on the amendment made headline news in May, I was invited to a government meeting. Sustained media coverage gives me a little more power, not because the government has understood the good sense of the amendment, but because I represent an increasing threat. The more noise I make, the more they recalculate the political value of ignoring me.
This tiny campaign is a litmus test for how seriously the government takes nature recovery, but where is our accountability as voters? We ping-pong between political parties, ensuring the state of play remains the same, and blame the government. Most people respond to my campaign by offering advice and opinions, not help. We must recognise that we need to act until we are heard. Do you know of a petition that changed the law on its own? I don’t. The petition got me into the halls of power, setting me up with long-standing allies like Zac Goldsmith, but these birds need more than signatures. They need emails, in-person appointments with MPs, and individuals who pressure friends and family to act – because if enough people lobby the same MP, you’ll find the tipping point.
Make it your mission to convince your MP. Don’t stop when you get ignored or fobbed off. Get your MP to sign the Early Day Motion and don’t take no for an answer. Securing habitat for endangered swifts and other cavity nesting birds – Early Day Motions – UK Parliament Email angela.rayner.mp@parliament.uk putting “Mandate swift bricks” in the subject line. You’ll get an automated response, but this email will be manned and if there are thousands of emails, a message will trickle up that’s more effective than a petition. Flooding them with emails will work. We can save swifts, so join the fight and don’t stop until we have won. Don’t leave it to me. I am a solo, unfunded campaigner. The birds and I need your help.
The more noise we make collectively, the more the government will recalculate whether it’s worth ignoring the plight of this astonishing bird. Swifts are site loyal, returning home after nine months on the wing, having navigated continents and crossed the biggest desert on earth – only to find their home blocked. A bird that just needs a brick to survive, because our home is their home.
“Nature Needs You – The Fight to Save Our Swifts” by Hannah Bourne-Swift is published by Elliot and Thompson, £16.99
