Government must improve appalling environmental record

8.10.00am GMT Wed 29th Mar 2006

Four senior ministers have made one of the most embarrassing admissions of the Labour Government's nine years in office - that the official policy for fighting climate change has failed. A government target to cut CO2 emissions by 2010 may be lowered from 20% to 18% in a review of its climate policy. Sir Menzies Campbell has challenged Tony Blair to hold his Ministers to account over the appalling failure.

Sir Menzies said "The Government has failed to meet the goals it set itself, and is also failing by comparison with more enlightened foreign governments. This is an appalling record. The steady rise in carbon emissions since 2000 when the Government capitulated to the fuel protesters is now coming home to roost. Green taxes have been falling in real terms since then with the predictable results that we see today. The Liberal Democrats will increase the proportion of targeted green taxes to drive down emissions."