Iolo Williams called the Prime Minister an "incompetent leader" after he announced that he would cut "newt counting" red tape in order to build more houses.

In Boris Johnson's speech on Tuesday, June 30, he said: "The newt counting delays in our system are a massive drag on the productivity and the prosperity of this country."

This has resulted in environmentalists fearing that nature is being used as a scapegoat in the push for more homes, hospitals and prisons to be built.

Writing on Twitter, Martin Harper, the Global Conservation Director of the RSPB, said: "It is a fundamental mistake to view species and environmental protections as a drag on our economy."

He said that countless reviews have shown that if these laws and implemented well then the planning system can guide a good development.

"Far from being the barrier to economic recovery that some framed them as, these regulations maintain the economic value of the sites and species they protect.

"We need an enlightened approach to rebooting our economy - one that puts action to restore nature and tackle climate change at the heart of the recovery," Mr Harper said.

Quoting his Tweet, Powys naturalist and TV presenter Iolo Williams said: "How on earth did we end up with such an incompetent leader? Have they learned nothing from the origins of Covid-19?"