Greenpeace has revealed the contents of key Conservative pre-election speeches on energy, green taxes and climate change, following the Party’s attempts to erase a 10-year backlog of public addresses from the internet.(1)
Greenpeace Energy Campaigner Leila Deen: “This is an extraordinary move by
the Government to erase history – it’s like a criminal trying to remove their
fingerprints. What these speeches show is that the Tories once agreed that
going green would mean lower bills for hard pressed families over time and a
safer planet. But since being in power, they’ve broken their promises and
chosen to side with the Big 6 instead.
“Osborne is now running a concerted campaign to do away with green policies
across the board. He’d do well to read back his old speeches – they helped win
votes because acting on climate change and cleaning up our energy system
matters to people.”
Pre-election comments and pledges from George Osborne include:
- If I become Chancellor, the Treasury will become a green ally, not a foe.
- I want a Conservative Treasury to be in the lead of developing the low carbon economy and financing a green recovery.
- We cannot afford not to go green.
- I see in this green recovery not just the fight against climate change, but the fight for jobs, the fight for new industry, the fight for lower family energy bills and the fight for less wasteful government.
- Greening our economy can be a win-win solution.
- The fight against climate change is one of the greatest challenges my generation faces. We will not shirk from this fight.
- I want the Treasury in a Conservative government…to put in place the economic instruments to reduce emissions and meet our ambitious green goals.
- I want the Conservative Party in a position to… drive forward the environmental agenda from day one of a Conservative government.
- The time for action is now. Future generations will not forgive us if we fail.
The speeches can be read here: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/newsdesk/energy/data/buried-tory-green-speeches-unearthed
ENDS
