Meacher joins rebels in climate vote

AN Oldham MP is threatening to throw Gordon Brown’s flagship Bill to tackle climate change into chaos, in the latest Labour backbench revolt.

Oldham West and Royton MP Michael Meacher is among 56 Labour MPs demanding the PM beef up his much-hyped legislation to slash carbon emissions by 80 per cent.

The rebels want the rising emissions from both aviation and shipping included in the UK’s greenhouse gas targets and are backing a Friends of the Earth protest.

Crucially, the 56 rebels are enough to defeat the prime minister when the climate change bill goes to a Commons’ vote tomorrow.

Mr Meacher said: “Aviation and shipping emissions are fast growing, if you have to get your carbon emissions down but you omit large sources, it is ridiculous.”

The amendment has been tabled by Edinburgh South MP Nigel Griffiths.

A parliamentary motion calling for the inclusion of international aviation and shipping in the 80 per cent target has been signed by 74 Labour MPs.

The Government’s position is that it is near-impossible for countries to share out responsibility for the gases produced from international flights and shipping.

But the rebel amendment states that, if emissions from aviation and shipping continue to grow, the government must compensate with extra CO2 cuts elsewhere.

New Climate Change and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has already bowed to pressure by hiking - from 50 per cent to 80 per cent - the Bill’s commitment for carbon emission cuts by 2050.

Mr Griffiths said he was “very encouraged” by discussions with climate change minister Joan Ruddock, suggesting the government might give way to head off a damaging defeat.

The rebellion looms just days after 16 Labour MPs defied a three-line whip to try to defeat the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.