Fresh Cabinet war looms after Treasury tries to block Michael Gove’s green targets for Britain
Chancellor Philip Hammond wants to minimise legislation to ease costs to businesses as the Environment Secretary sets out bold plans to tackle landfill waste and use of plastic
A FRESH Cabinet war is looming after it emerged Treasury ministers will try to block a series of new green targets from being enshrined in law.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove is drawing up tough new rules to clean up Britain by 2043.
He is said to want much of his 25 year plan Environment Plan - unveiled in January - to be made legally binding.
The blueprint sets a series of bold aspirations, from the use of plastics to air and water quality, beach clean ups and landfill waste.
But Philip Hammond and his ministers want to keep any new laws down to a minimum to ease hefty costs on business.
The fresh tensions follow the Chancellor’s refusal in the Budget on Monday to create a ‘latte levy’ on disposable coffee cups.
One Treasury minister told The Sun: “Gove will push for all sorts of new legal targets for his 25 year plan, but Philip is determined to stop as many as possible.
“There are better ways of achieving this. We must maintain flexibility and not impose any unnecessary burdens on business.”
There has also been tension between Mr Gove and Mr Hammond on how much power to give the new environmental watchdog.
The EU currently enforces pollution laws and emission targets that stretch up to 2030, but its remit will lapse after Brexit.
Treasury Chief Secretary Liz Truss also recently mocked Mr Gove over his bid to ban polluting fires by joking about “wood-burning Goves”.
But a DEFRA played down any rows at the moment, saying: “We have always had a very collaborative relationship with The Treasury which we hope to continue”.
Environmental Audit Committee chair Mary Creagh MP said: “Tension between DEFRA and the Treasury will worry everybody who fears another race to the bottom on protections for our air, water and beaches.
“We mustn’t return to the 1970s when Britain was the dirty man of Europe.”
A latte levy was initially proposed by a committee of backbench MPs, and Mr Gove agreed to look at enforcing one.
But Mr Hammond told the Commons on Monday: “A tax in isolation would not, at this point, deliver a decisive shift from disposable to reusable cups”.
The Chancellor did unveil a new tax plastic packaging that is very hard to recycle.
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