Cameron's climate change announcement just 'empty rhetoric' - Chris Huhne MP

5.20.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Sat 22nd Apr 2006

Responding to David Cameron's announcement that the Tories support scrapping the Climate Change Levy (CCL), Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, Chris Huhne MP said: "David Cameron has announced that he would abolish the climate change levy, but he has still not put forward a concrete alternative. This is yet another example of more empty rhetoric from the Tories. "The Climate Change Levy may be flawed, but it has reduced emissions. David Cameron should join the Liberal Democrats in supporting the increase of the CCL rate recently announced in the budget. "Mr Cameron has failed to grasp the nettle of environmental taxation. He is perpetuating the Tory-Labour myth that the planet can be made sustainable without changing personal behaviour.

"This vague announcement, which only affects businesses, is in support of a tax neutral policy - raising one environmental tax while allowing another to fall. The Liberal Democrats are more realistic, supporting a rise in the overall burden of environmental taxation, offset by cuts in personal tax. Unless Cameron begins to support an increase in the overall level of green taxation, including transport and household energy - which accounts for a third of our carbon emissions, his words will mean nothing."