THE former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Williams is among the signatories of a faith leaders’ letter urging the Government to support the Climate and Nature Bill, which is backed by more than 200 MPs across the main parties and is to be debated on 24 January.

If passed, the Bill would enshrine in law a target to limit global warming to 1.5°C, and to take action to halt biodiversity loss. The Bill also mandates the formation of an independent Climate and Nature Assembly, comprising members of the general public, to make further proposals on environmental action.

The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, the Bishop of Reading, the Rt Revd Olivia Graham, and the Bishop of Kingston, Dr Martin Gainsborough, are among the 26 signatories to the letter.

Other signatories of the “multi-faith request” to Sir Keir Starmer include the president of the Hindu Forum of Britain, Trupti Patel; the chair of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board, Qari Muhammad Asim; and the Senior Rabbi of the New North London Masorti Synagogue, Jonathan Wittenberg.

They write that the Bill “will improve the lives and and livelihoods of people across the UK, as well as around the world”, and urge the Prime Minister to support the passage of the Bill through Parliament.

“Scenes of chaos and misery we have seen in the news this year around the world due to flooding, wildfires, heatwaves, droughts and storms have been deeply distressing — especially since those who are suffering the most, globally, are those who have done the least to create the crisis,” the letter says.

It welcomes the Government’s action since the summer, but says that the UK is “still not on track to meet our internationally-agreed commitments for 2030”.