Press Release: Bees, Flowers and Drag Queens : Young Nature Campaigners Back Pesticide Ban in Parliament

Young campaigners brought a drag queen, six-foot floral installations, a giant bee, and miniature wildlife sculptures to Westminster to highlight concerns over urban pesticide use.

On 21st April, UK Youth for Nature and Drag Queen Gardener co-hosted a parliamentary reception alongside Sian Berry MP. The event brought together young people who showcased miniature sculptures of urban wildlife, including a model of a nature-friendly town. Campaigners made a striking visual statement, with one dressed in a hazmat suit standing beside another in a giant bee costume, standing in front of giant flowers. The reception formed part of the group’s Your Wild Streets campaign, which calls for a ban on pesticide use in urban areas.

Pesticides - the umbrella term for chemicals used to kill unwanted plants and animals - have significant negative impacts for wildlife, biodiversity, water quality (1), pet health, and human health, having been linked to respiratory problems, depression, hormonal disruption and cancer.

In 2024, councils across the UK spent a staggering £14.1 million on these chemicals, using 354 tonnes of herbicides in our towns and cities. Many of these chemicals were used on road verges. which are home to over 700 species of wildflower - nearly 45% of the UK’s flora.

92% of councils still use weedkillers made from glyphosate, which is classed as a ‘probable human carcinogen’ by the World Health Organisation. Children are especially vulnerable to harm from glyphosate due to their lower body weight and the greater contact they have with sprayed surfaces in areas such as playgrounds.

Many alternative non-chemical methods to remove unwanted plants exist, such as hot foam, brushing, mulching and hand weeding. These methods are already being used by councils including Hackney, Lambeth and Derry, who have gone spray-free without any extra cost. In fact, Hackney Council saved £10,000 a year after cutting pesticide use by 80%.

UK Youth for Nature is calling on the UK government to catch up with countries like France and Denmark which have already implemented a national ban on the use of pesticides in cities, towns and villages.

Tom Leonard (The Drag Queen Gardener) says: “We should rethink using pesticides in our local spaces. The damage they cause to bees, wildlife, and the wider environment is too serious to ignore. Choosing convenience over care isn’t the right path - especially when it harms the natural world we depend on.”

Siân Berry MP said of the event: “I was thrilled to welcome UK Youth 4 Nature to Parliament this morning. These brilliant campaigners are working hard to protect nature in their communities from harmful and unnecessary pesticide use, and I am so pleased that they could so creatively and energetically engage MPs directly on this issue today. 

“I have gained cross-party support for my Bill to ban pesticides from public spaces during this parliamentary session. I am grateful for all the efforts of campaigners like UK Youth 4 Nature who are piling the pressure on councils to stop using toxic chemicals in villages, towns and cities that are a danger to people, pets and children using these spaces.