Defra’s Darwin Plus programme has invested more than £64 million across nearly 400 environmental projects of benefit to the UK Overseas Territories since 2012. These include projects to increase the Territories’ resilience by responding to, mitigating and adapting to climate change and its effects on the natural environment and local communities.

An independent evaluation in 2022 found that Darwin Plus projects have reduced key threats to the Territories’ natural environments, including climate change. An impact analysis of Darwin Plus projects in 2025 has since estimated that Darwin Plus projects have:

• Improved the climate and disaster resilience of almost 10,000 people since 2022 alone; and
• Brought over 46 million hectares of land and sea under ecological management since 2013.

Project applicants for Darwin Plus Local Round 6, which closed on 29 December, will be kept informed of developments. Updates on further future funding rounds will be published on the Darwin Plus website in due course.

The 2012 White Paper remains the foundation of the UK's modern partnership-based relationship with the Overseas Territories (OTs), but the OTs continue to work alongside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to identify proposals on how the relationship should develop in response to more recent global developments. To strengthen that collaboration, the Joint Ministerial Council on 24-27 November 2025 agreed to develop the option for OTs to agree new Partnership Compacts with the UK, providing tailored, practical frameworks for advancing shared priorities.

Since July 2024, the UK has provided over £20 million in security support to Caribbean OTs, including armed police and investigators to reinforce local forces, new patrol vessels, coastal radar systems, and police drones. We also work closely with independent Caribbean states and deploy UK agencies, including the National Crime Agency, to help counter serious and organised crime.

The Joint Ministerial Council on 24-27 November welcomed the participation of the Overseas Territories at COP30 and other international fora, and reaffirmed the shared ambition to protect Overseas Territories' ecosystems and address climate and nature crises. The FCDO has provided support through its Climate Security, Civil Resilience and Blue Belt programmes to help OTs adapt and build their climate change resilience, strengthen their disaster management capabilities, and protect and enhance ocean health.

Acts of Parliament are normally not extended to the Overseas Territories except with the agreement of their locally-elected governments. It is established practice to consult the Overseas Territories when the UK Government is considering new legislation or policies of relevance to them.

The UK Government provides a range of funding, incentives and advisory support to nature restoration and climate action across the country.

Surrey County Council is the responsible authority for preparing the Surrey Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS), which will agree priorities for nature recovery in the area and identify and map the best locations for action to be taken to benefit nature and the wider environment. The Surrey LNRS has recently completed public consultation and is now preparing to be published.

On climate, we are also committed to working in partnership with local Government, recognising the essential role that local communities play in mitigating and adapting to climate change. Our support includes the Local Authority Climate Service, a tool which provides Met Office climate data to local authorities based on their specific geographic areas, enabling them to take more effective decisions based on their local risk landscape.

Climate education can already be taught in geography, science and citizenship within the national curriculum. The Curriculum and Assessment Review is considering where evidence suggests content needs to be updated to reflect rapid social, environmental and technological change, including a greater focus on sustainability and climate science.

The Sustainability Support for Education hub and Climate Ambassadors programme provide support to enable settings to establish their climate action plan and embed sustainability into their setting.

The National Education Nature Park provides curriculum-linked resources and practical activities to engage children and young people in nature and the improvement of their local environment. There are currently six settings registered to the programme in the Surrey Heath constituency, and we encourage more settings to get involved.

The department has also published statutory guidance on school uniforms which states that schools should ensure second-hand uniforms are available, which benefits all parents and is more sustainable. Additionally, we provide procurement support through the Get Help Buying for Schools service to encourage sustainable procurement decisions.

Our international climate finance continues to prioritise support to the most vulnerable communities who are experiencing the worst impacts of climate change, including children. For example, we will triple our funding for adaptation from £500 million in 2019 to £1.5 billion in 2025. In addition, we are committed to amplifying the voices of the most marginalised, empowering them as decision-makers, advocates and leaders in the climate response, ensuring gender and inclusion are a key part of our policy and programming. At COP29, I championed gender-responsive and inclusive international climate finance and policy, announcing over £5.8 million to support women's economic empowerment and in the context of insecurity created by the climate crisis.