Canberra has dropped a legal bombshell on American industrial giant 3M. The suit, filed in federal court, alleges the company knowingly contaminated water supplies with toxic PFAS compounds. These 'forever chemicals' don't break down. They accumulate. They cause cancer, liver damage, immune system harm.
Westminster watchers, take note. This is not just a colonial legal squabble. It's a political grenade rolling across the Atlantic. British environmental groups are already mobilising. Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace UK, the Wildlife Trusts. They smell blood. They want a UK ban. Now.
Why now? Because the government is vulnerable. Post-Brexit regulatory freedom was supposed to mean higher standards. Instead, ministers have dithered on chemical regulation. The Environment Agency has been cautious. Too cautious, say campaigners. PFAS are in our drinking water, our food packaging, our raincoats. 'The UK has been a PFAS dumping ground,' one Labour MP told me this morning.
But here's the backroom story. Whitehall insiders say the real pressure is coming from the Treasury. The cost of cleaning up PFAS contamination could run into billions. The MoD is already facing claims from military bases. Water companies are twitchy. They don't want to be next in the firing line.
3M, of course, will fight. They have deep pockets and political connections. They'll argue that PFAS are essential for modern life, that regulation should be 'science-based' (read: slow). But Canberra's move changes the calculus. Australia was once a safe harbour for chemical giants. Now it's a test case for liability.
So what does this mean for Number 10? Three things. First, expect a rash of parliamentary questions. Environment Secretary Steve Barclay will face the despatch box on Tuesday. He'll be pressed to commit to a ban. Second, watch for a quiet meeting between DEFRA officials and industry lobbyists. They'll try to agree a voluntary phase-out. Third, the legal firms are circling. Class action lawsuits against 3M in the UK are now a near certainty.
The polling data makes interesting reading. Public concern about chemical pollution is rising, especially among Conservative heartland voters in the shires. The 'blue rinse' brigade doesn't want forever chemicals in their rural water supplies. That focuses ministerial minds.
One veteran lobbyist told me this evening: 'This is the asbestos moment for chemical regulation. The government can either get ahead of it or be dragged along.' The message is clear. The game has changed. The real question is whether Sunak and his team have the nerve to take on the chemical lobby. Don't bet on it.
But the optics matter. Australia's lawsuit gives Labour a stick to beat the government with. Keir Starmer can paint the Tories as in hock to corporate polluters. The Green Party is already demanding a 'PFAS Free Britain' bill. The Liberal Democrats will pile on. For once, the environmental lobby and the legal industry are marching in lockstep.
Watch the space. This story has legs. And 3M's PR machine is about to get a very unpleasant workout.
For now, the Australian suit is a warning shot. But it won't be the last. Whitehall's in-box is about to get a lot fuller.
