The Government has come under fresh criticism for plans to tackle climate change after it became apparent that it will be unable to meet its climate change targets and may have to rely more heavily on fossil fuels such as gas, reports the Telegraph.
Last week the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change announced a policy document on Britain's future renewable energy strategy, revealing that thousands of new wind turbines were needed for the Government to meet its commitment to EU targets.
The policy will maintain the subsidy paid to onshore wind farms at 90% of its current level, something which renewable energy experts believed was essential to keep the industry going.
The document also alludes to the fact that fossil fuels such as gas will be required to help the UK meet its CO2 reduction pledges.
However, the proposals have been criticised as unachievable and now it has emerged that the policy document includes a £500m tax break for North Sea gas exploration, prompting campaigners to question the Government's motives and particularly those of the chancellor, George Osborne.
The Independent reports that Mr Osborne may have been influenced by his father-in-law Lord Howell, who is president of an influential lobbying group funded by Shell and BP.
Now there are calls for the Government to come clean on whether it intends to meet its own green energy targets, amid claims that the Conservatives are not committed to renewable energy sources.
Louise Hutchins is the senior energy campaigner at Greenpeace UK.
"We'd hate to think that the UK's direction of travel on energy policy was being decided over claret and duck chez Osborne," she told The Independent.
"Lord Howell's links with big oil and gas special interests are well established. Questions must surely be asked about whether he has been bending the ear of his son-in-law to help his friends in the fossil fuel lobby," she added.
Sources:
Osborne accused over gas lobbyist father-in-law (The Independent)
The Government plans to break its own climate change law (The Telegraph)
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