Responding to comments by Chancellor George Osborne today that green regulations pile costs on energy bills and the UK shouldn’t cut carbon emissions faster than the rest of Europe, Friends of the Earth’s Executive Director Andy Atkins said:

“The Chancellor clearly can’t do his sums – Government figures show the reason our power bills are soaring is the UK Government’s addiction to coal, gas and oil, not green regulation which safeguards our economy.

“Harnessing the UK’s clean power potential is the only way to boost our energy industry and keep costs down in the long run – it’s astonishing that Osborne seems to be in league with those falsely blaming moves to free us from our costly fossil fuel habit.

“Protecting the economy and the planet are two sides of the same coin – if the Chancellor can’t grasp this, David Cameron is doomed to fail in his pledge to lead the greenest Government ever.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. Under the Climate Change Act the UK has agreed to show international leadership and stimulate clean industries by cutting its emissions by 50% by 2025, putting us on the path to a safe and prosperous future– this is a more ambitious commitment than all our EU neighbours.

2. Jonathon Porritt's report, commissioned by Friends of the Earth and published in May, concluded that after one year in office the Coalition had made little progress towards David Cameron's pledge to lead the 'greenest government ever'.