By Martin Banks - 5th July 2011
To be sure of success they need Conservative support
Chris Davies
The leader of Britain's Conservative MEPs has denied there is any split on CO2 emissions cuts between the group and David Cameron.
But Martin Callanan conceded that he and his delegation had come under a "bit of pressure" to tow the party line on the issue.
His comments come ahead of a key vote in parliament on Tuesday on greenhouse gas emission reductions.
UK premier Cameron favours a policy which would see the EU's proposed 20 per cent cut in CO2 emissions by 2020 rise to a 30 per cent cut.
But Callanan and his 26-strong group in Brussels insist that any such move should only happen if there is a worldwide agreement on cutting CO2 emissions by 30 per cent.
Speaking to this website on Tuesday ahead of the vote, Callanan said he and the Tory delegation would vote for an amendment, put forward by the EPP group, which "supports a move towards a 30 per cent reduction when the conditions allow and in the context of a global agreement".
He said, "There has been a bit of pressure but I am not going to say where from."
The shift from 20 to 30 per cent is the centrepiece of the UK government's current climate agenda – it is in the coalition document, and the British ministers have been campaigning for it with other EU countries – and any rejection of it by the Tory MEPs will be seen as a personal snub to Cameron.
But Callanan flatly rejected claims that the issue had caused any embarrassment.
He said, "There is not a huge difference in the position of the UK coalition and our delegation. Before the climate talks collapsed in Copenhagen it had been the EU's position to move towards a 30 per cent reduction and this can still be achieved."
Chris Davies, a UK Liberal deputy, said, "While the UK energy secretary Chris Huhne is at the forefront of efforts in the European council to raise EU ambitions for reducing CO2 emissions, Conservative MEPs are refusing to back the government's position."
He said they look set to "demonstrate their real views about efforts to curb global warming".
He said, "At issue is a vote that will determine the parliament's stance on the European commission's strategy to promote a low carbon economy.
"The result is on a knife edge. Liberal Democrat MEPs will reflect government policy by backing a call to raise the EU's 2020 CO2 reduction target to 25 per cent by internal measures, and to clarify that this will mean a 30 per cent reduction when offsets from overseas investments are included.
"To be sure of success they need Conservative support. All indications are that they will not get it."
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