Press release

PM defends green record in front of MPs

11 December 2012

Responding to David Cameron's defence of his Government's evaporating green credentials to a committee of senior MPs today, Friends of the Earth's Executive Director Andy Atkins said:

"The Prime Minister seems worryingly out of touch with the latest scientific evidence.

"He clung doggedly to his green rhetoric but gave little reassurance that he is set to breathe new life into the Government's rapidly deflating environmental credentials.

"His indication that he will allow Ministers to gamble our energy future on a dash for gas, even though he admits he doesn't know what impact this will have, is extremely reckless.

"A fossil fuelled energy strategy risks massive fuel bill hikes and threatens to blow a gaping hole in UK climate targets, to which the PM claims he remains committed.

"David Cameron must show real leadership, insist on a cleaner, safer future and help the nation reap the huge jobs and business opportunities this will bring."

Confidence in the Prime Minister's stewardship of the environment has faded for a number of reasons, including:

• His refusal to accept his climate advisers' advice to set a target for decarbonising the power sector by 2030;
• His support for George Osborne's dash for gas, condemning households to soaring energy bills;
• The undermining of business confidence in investing in the green economy, including complaints from the CBI;
• Investment in renewable energ halving over the past two years;
• His appointment to key positions of a number of MPs, such John Hayes (energy) and Owen Paterson (environment) - who appear to have an anti-green agenda - while removing experienced Ministers such as Charles Hendry (energy);
• Personally vetoing the head of the independent Committee on Climate Change's appointment to the post of DECC's permanent secretary;
• His government's refusal to allow the Green Investment Bank to borrow money, and therefore be an effective player in boosting green development;
• His government's failure to protect British bees by suspending the use of chemicals found to be causing bee decline;
• His failure to make a key note speech on the environment in two and a half years as Prime Minister.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust