Blair under fire on two fronts over climate change

TONY Blair, the Prime Minister, has come under simultaneous attack by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats over climate change, even as he hinted at a new government bill aimed at addressing the problem.

David Cameron, the Tory leader, yesterday launched a campaign calling for ministers to bring forward a draft law that would set binding annual targets for UK carbon dioxide emissions. Groups including Friends of the Earth and the Women's Institute are supporting his call.

Without annual targets, there is "no prospect" of a 60 per cent reduction in emissions being achieved by 2050, he said.

While Downing Street has signalled that some sort of climate-change bill is likely in next month's Queen's Speech, ministers are sceptical about annual targets, claiming any caps must be more flexible.

In the Commons, Mr Blair insisted that any new law must be "practical and workable and that is why we will make sure that any proposals that we come forward with, we are able to make sure we get the reductions we need in emissions".

He went on: "But it has also got to be entirely compatible with the interests of business and consumers as well."

Meanwhile, Sir Menzies Campbell, the Lib Dem leader, will today publish a study that he says documents Labour's failures on climate change since 1997.