An activist singled out by Keir Starmer as an environmental “zealot” who must be stopped from making “vexatious” legal claims that thwart growth, has accused the prime minister of trying to lock people out of the planning process.
Andrew Boswell, a 68-year-old former Green councillor, insisted his two-year legal fight over the expansion of the A47 in Norfolk was worth it, despite it ending in defeat in the supreme court last year.
This week, Starmer said he was determined to overhaul the judicial review process to prevent “nimbys and zealots” such as Boswell “gumming up the legal system”.
In a comment piece for the Daily Mail, Starmer accused Boswell and his ilk of trying to “hold the country to ransom” through legal claims that amount to “self-righteous virtue signalling”. The article began with Boswell’s case against the A47 and noted that the supreme court dismissed it as having “no logical basis”.
Boswell, a former leader of the Greens on Norfolk county council, responded by accusing Starmer of trying “putting a target on my back”. He said: “There is a real danger in demonising individuals like this.”
He added: “I don’t virtue signal. I’m doing this for my grandchildren. It is Starmer who is virtue signalling to Daily Mail readers and the fossil fuel lobby.”
Boswell said Starmer’s plans to limit legal challenges against infrastructure projects were “dangerous for access to justice”.
He said: “The debate has to be wider than just locking people of out of the planning and justice system.”
He said Starmer had selectively quoted from his case, which argued that the Department for Transport had failed to properly assess the cumulative impact of carbon emissions from dualling sections of the A47.
Boswell, an environmental consultant who has worked on climate breakdown computer modelling at the University of East Anglia, said: “At the high court, the judge said I had done a good job showing how badly the environmental impact assessment had been put together, and that the case had clarified a lot of issues.”
And he insisted he was not against infrastructure, pointing to his support for pylons and solar parks which some activists have opposed.
“Starmer is trying to shut down debate. I personally support pylons and solar parks because we need them for net zero. I’m on the government’s side on this, but I think it is absolutely crucial that people are able to express concerns about pylons and solar parks and through that process you often get better solutions.”
Boswell claimed his campaign against the A47, which was funded by £73,000 in crowdsourcing from 2,000 individuals, “brought the community together in Norfolk”.
He added: “I may not have won on the A47, but the case has had an impact on road building in Norfolk, so it was worth it.” He cited this week’s decision to withdraw plans for a proposed £274m western bypass of Norwich over concerns that it would wreck the habitat of endangered barbastelle bats.
In his article, Starmer did not mentioned this scheme, but described plans for a £100m bat tunnel for the HS2 rail line as “ridiculous”.
Boswell said the decision to pause the Norwich bypass was “an example of nature laws working well”. He added: “Those laws should not be parodied by the prime minister. Is he suggesting making species extinct in this country.”
Boswell’s next legal challenge is on the government’s plans for carbon capture and storage, over evidence suggesting it will create more emissions than it saves.
He said: “The government needs to listen to the genuine concerns people have about climate and nature. Let’s have a grown-up and nuanced discussion about carbon capture rather than name calling.”
