Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has said he is reviewing Liz Truss's plans for investment zones to boost growth, amid concerns about their impact on the environment.
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has told Sky News that he is reviewing Liz Truss's investment zones, saying anything which might undermine the environment is "out".
In last month's mini-budget, the-then chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng laid out plans to heavily reduce taxes on businesses and relax planning rules in at least 38 local authorities, dubbed "investment zones".
The announcement sparked widespread concern from environmental charities and groups that crucial protections which safeguard wildlife, landscapes, and buildings, could be ripped up.
Asked by Sky's Sophie Ridge on Sunday if the zones - a key part of Ms Truss's plan for growth - are going ahead, Mr Gove said: "I'm reviewing them."
Mr Gove added: "We need to make sure that any change that we make is one which of course helps to support economic growth and good jobs for people, but also one of the concerns raised about investment zones was the impact on the environment.
"I've been very clear and the prime minister has been very clear that under no circumstances will we weaken environmental protections."
Ms Truss had said her investment zones would help level up the country by spurring investment in regions outside London.
Mr Gove said he will be looking closely at her proposals alongside the chancellor Jeremy Hunt, prime minister Rishi Sunak and environment secretary Therese Coffey but insisted: "Anything that might in any way undermine environmental protections is out."
Gove 'sorry' for Liz Truss premiership
Mr Gove also told Sophy Ridge that he was sorry about the Conservatives installing Liz Truss as their leader.
Asked whether he would like to apologise for the damage caused by her policies, he said he would.
"I think we made a mistake, we took the wrong turn."
He said the mini-budget had "contained a number of false steps" and that it was "wrong to proceed with tax cuts without saying how they are going to be paid for".
And, referring to Rishi Sunak's comments during his leadership campaign against Liz Truss - in which he described her policies as a "fairytale" - Mr Gove says the current prime minister has been "vindicated".
On Friday, Ms Coffey said she did not feel as though she owed the public an apology for the economic turmoil caused by Ms Truss's disastrous mini-budget.