Ed Miliband responds to reports that Ministers dropped binding climate commitments from UK-Australia trade deal

Ed Miliband MP, Labour’s Shadow Business Secretary, commenting on reports that Ministers bowed to pressure to drop binding climate commitments from the UK-Australia trade deal, said:

“This latest revelation underscores yet again that this greenwashing government cannot be trusted on climate. With COP26 round the corner, the Government should be flexing every political muscle to ensure the summit is a success.

“Australia is one of the world’s biggest polluters and key to the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. But rather than piling pressure on them, the Government has simply rolled over.

“This government is pursuing trade deals at the expense of our farmers and now our climate targets. This is simply a massive betrayal of our country and our planet.”

Ends

Notes to editors

• 'Ministers bowed to pressure to drop key climate commitments for UK trade deal with Australia' - Sky News, 8 September 2021
  
  
• Before the G7 summit in Cornwall, the UK's high commissioner in Australia said the goal for this agreement was getting Australia to set emissions targets for 2030. Now in the Government's desperation to sign any deal at any price, they're proposing an agreement with no binding targets at all. - Guardian, 3 June 2021