Although government officials yesterday denied any decision had been taken on the matter (see letsrecycle.com story), reports in the Guardian on Monday stated that Michael Meacher had been dropped from the delegation going to the international environmental talks to reduce costs.
 /photos/meacher3.jpgMichael Meacher will be going to the Earth Summit |
However, after outrage was expressed by campaign groups including Friends of the Earth, Oxfam and the RSPB, the government has now made sure that “the only minister credited with understanding all the issues” will definitely be in the UK party going to South Africa from 26 August to 4 September.
A spokesperson at the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs told letsrecycle.com: “We had it confirmed at 10:30 this morning, both Michael Meacher and Margaret Beckett will be going to the Earth Summit in Johannesburg.”
The delegation will include John Prescott, who had initially been left out rather than Mr Meacher because he had no responsibilities for the environment. After the Deputy Prime Minister pressured Tony Blair into allowing him to go because of his experience in the last Earth Summit in Kyoto, the Foreign Office Minister Baroness Amos has now been dropped from the delegation.
The delegation will now be led by Mr Prescott, with International Development Secretary Clare Short also joining Mr Meacher and the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Margaret Beckett. The Prime Minister will be present for the signing ceremony only.
The ministers will be joined by 45 officials and five security officers. It is also known that the chief executive of the Environmental Services Association, Dirk Hazell, will attend the summit in his capacity as an ex-United Nations intern.
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