Matthew has pledged to continue his work on the environment if re-elected to Parliament.

A keen environmentalist and the longest serving Conservative member of the Environmental Audit Select Committee, Matthew has made the environment and climate change one of his key priorities during his nine years in Parliament.

Matthew said: “The issue of the climate emergency has come to the forefront of the political agenda in the past few months, however this has always been on my agenda.

“As a vegetarian of 36 years and a committed environmentalist I have asked many questions to the Government on environmental issues such as waste, recycling and animal welfare. As well as the global environment, I care deeply about our local environment, so I spend a lot of my free time walking our paths in Barnet and volunteering in local clean-ups. 

“I am proud of the achievements made by the Government so far, for example the banning plastic microbeads, the successful charge on plastic bags, and the creation of 41 new Marine Conservation Zones – something I was proud to be a part of.

“Despite these achievements, I am not content and I am pleased at the commitments made to further this agenda in the Conservative manifesto including a new Office for Environmental Protection and our landmark Environment Bill.”