LibDems approve carbon neutral plan

Updated 23.38 Mon Sep 17 2007

Keywords: Chris Huhne, Sir Menzies Campbell, Liberal Democrats

LibDems have approved green plans including making the UK carbon neutral by 2050, as rumblings continue over the party's leadership.

At its annual conference in Brighton, doubts continued to swirl about the leadership of Sir Menzies Campbell and the direction of the party.

A weekend poll put his personal rating as low as 4 per cent, while on Monday, newspaper cartoonists depicted the 66-year-old as a lame duck

A weekend poll put his personal rating as low as 4 per cent, while on Monday, newspaper cartoonists depicted the 66-year-old as a lame duck or as a pensioner leaning on a Zimmer frame.

On plans to raise billions in green taxes, LibDem environment spokesman Chris Huhne said: "This is the first comprehensive set of proposals to reduce carbon emissions from every sector of the economy ever produced by any British political party.

"We can no longer believe that a 60 per cent cut in carbon emissions is enough, as the government claims."

He added: "No one believes it, not even ministers. The science says it needs to be more than 80 per cent."

Other measures proposed included tolls on lorries using motorways to double investment in rail transport, with a new high-speed north-south rail link a likely priority.

Additionally there would be "green mortgages" to pay for thick insulation in roof lofts and £1 billion spent on flood defences.