In Honiton, the ‘Swift Support Network’ has been hard at work, helping to address the falling number of swifts globally by installing several swift boxes on buildings across the town. It is small steps like this one which can make a real difference.

More widely, a group called Devon Swifts has over 1000 supporters. The RSPB has set up a ‘Swift Mapper’ website that shows there are almost 200 pairs of swifts in the area covered by the Midweek Herald and the Sidmouth Herald.

Since being elected last year, I have contributed to over 135 debates in Parliament. Earlier this month, on 10th July, I made a speech about the merits of the ‘Swift Brick’. This is a nifty product which allows this beautiful variety of bird to safely nest and make their home on the outside of our houses.

During the debate it appeared that there was going to be a cross-party consensus for making these bricks a requirement of all future developments. However, at the last moment, the move was blocked by the Government.

Mandating the use of these bricks would have been a small, simple change. It would not add a significant financial burden for developers and would make a difference in maintaining the seasonal movement of swifts, with which we welcome the arrival of summer each year.

By opposing measures like these, this Conservative Government has shown that do not seek to conserve very much at all, whether that be through making our homes a sustainable part of nature or taking action to protect biodiversity.

This neglect is clear when it comes to other aspects of the natural world too.

Ministers have repeatedly declined to intervene in the scandalous dumping of sewage into our rivers and onto our beaches. This is happening at an industrial scale and harming our beautiful countryside, yet Conservative MPs voted to allow this to keep happening for years to come.

One of our most important responsibilities is to build a better world to leave to our children. This is why protecting nature is so important – because the planet is the next generation’s ultimate inheritance, so we must nurture it and conserve it.

We must do more to protect nature and build a sustainable future for all our communities.