A new chapter for the APPG for the Polar Regions

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Polar Regions has been re-established under new parliamentary leadership, with a renewed ambition to connect Parliament with the science, diplomacy and technology shaping the Arctic and Antarctic.

Following the 2024 General Election and a period during which the previous Group ceased to operate, the APPG for the Polar Regions was formally re-established in February 2026.

The renewed Group is chaired by George Freeman MP, supported by fellow parliamentary officers Lord Mann, Blake Stephenson MP and Baroness Northover.

This marks a fresh start for the APPG, while building on the valuable work, relationships and body of knowledge developed during its previous chapter.

At a moment when the polar regions have never been more important, the Group will provide a cross-party forum through which parliamentarians can engage with the people and organisations working at the frontiers of polar research, policy and innovation.

Its developing programme will be organised around three interconnected areas:

Polar science and planetary change
Improving understanding of the Arctic and Antarctic as critical environments for climate science, biodiversity, oceans, atmosphere and the wider Earth system.

Geopolitics, diplomacy and security
Examining the growing strategic importance of the polar regions, international cooperation and governance, and the implications of rapid environmental and geopolitical change.

Technology, innovation and data
Exploring the technologies that make research and operations possible in extreme environments, and the wider value of the knowledge, capabilities and data developed through polar activity.

The Group has already begun rebuilding its programme and relationships, including a recent parliamentary visit to the British Antarctic Survey.

Over the coming months, the APPG will announce further information about its external steering group, programme of parliamentary briefings and visits, public events, partnerships and opportunities to engage with its work.

More information about the renewed APPG for the Polar Regions will be published here soon.