Labour MPs vote down climate change action

11.50.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 22nd Oct 2009

Plymouth's Lib Dem spokespeople Dr Judy Evans and Stuart Bonar support action on climate change

Labour MPs yesterday evening voted down a parliamentary motion that would have committed the House of Commons and the Government to new efforts to tackle climate change.

The motion, tabled by the Liberal Democrats, called for 10 per cent cuts in carbon emissions by the end of 2010. These emissions contribute to the growing threat of climate change.

Labour MPs instead backed their own motion that merely listed the actions already being taken by the Government on the issue. The successful motion does not commit anyone to do anything new.

Speaking just after the result of the vote was announced, the Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, Dr Judy Evans, said, "How disappointing that MPs have missed this opportunity to turn warm words into firm action.

"If Labour MPs had only put the planet before politics then the Commons would this evening have made a commitment to act urgently on this vital issue."

Stuart Bonar, the Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate in the new seat of Plymouth Moor View, added, "Climate change should be an issue of bipartisan cooperation. There was not a single word of criticism of any party in the Lib Dem motion that was put to MPs today. Yet, Labour MPs still blindly obeyed orders and voted it down. What a shame."