Government defends green policies after environment minister&#39s criticism

After Mr Meacher hit out at the government's “patchy” environmental policies, a spokesperson from 10 Downing Street said: “There is a long list of policies and initiatives taken by the government to help ensure that the planet is worth living on.”

Michael Meacher risked anger from fellow ministers

The turbulence surrounding the environment minister began last week when it was revealed that the “only minister credited with understanding all the issues” would be left off the list of UK delegates going to the Earth Summit in Johannesburg at the end of this month. This prompted a U-turn from the government over the issue (see letsrecycle.com story) after the outcry from environmental pressure groups.

Now Mr Meacher has added to Downing Street's embarrassment with his claims that the government isn't as concerned with environmental issues as it should be.

In his interview, Mr Meacher said: “Churchill came to power to defeat Hitler: with the environment there is no one enemy, that's why it's so devastating. You can't just get rid of Saddam and solve the problem: there are 6 billion of us behaving in a way that is untenable.”

Risk
Despite the environment minister's enthusiasm for green causes and his popularity among green activists, his interview on Sunday will not carry much favour with his Labour Party peers. But risking being sidelined as a party maverick, Mr Meacher did not hold back from his criticism.

“I don't think the government as a whole is yet ready to take the magnitude of decisions I think are necessary,” he said.

Mr Meacher admitted that he was pleased to have support from environmental campaigners, who were thought to be instrumental in the U-turn that will see him attend the Earth Summit, and pointed out that the Labour Party shouldn't ignore the green vote which is becoming increasingly important in “middle Britain”.

The Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was understood to be so angry after Mr Meacher's comments that she cancelled her caravan holiday to reprimand her minister and international development secretary Claire Short hit back at Mr Meacher's comments on Radio 4. Ms Short said that the approaching Earth Summit was no place for personal pleas on the environment.

“This isn't an environmental summit. It's a summit about sustainable development,” she said. “It isn't just about how we tidy up our environment in the rich countries.”

• Speaking in the Times today, the Environment Agency's chief executive has also criticised the government's approach to green issues. Baroness Young said: “The three biggest issues are waste, climate change and agriculture. The man in the street can't do much about agriculture, but they can do a hell of a lot about climate change and how much waste they produce. Those are the two things the public should be worried about, because we are not making much headway on them.”