Cameron unveils green agenda on webchat
By Ian Dunt
The Conservatives have become the first British party to launch a policy agenda on the internet today with a live webchat with David Cameron which can be accessed through politics.co.uk.
The webchat, which occured at 13:30 GMT, can be found below.
Users could ask questions on the environment to Mr Cameron by emailing craig.elder@conservatives.com or contibute to the live chat during the webcast.
The Tories are keen to capitalise over the controversy surrounding the new Heathrow runway, with party insiders feeling they are on the ‘right’ side of the issue.
The plans are intended to reduce UK reliance on gas and oil and funnel £1 billion into improving power distribution on the National Grid.
The party are focusing on decarbonising the economy, with hopes for the highly skills jobs it would create.
The National Grid proposals contain the most detail. The party are calling for new technology to update energy distribution, with ‘smart’ appliances in the home monitoring appliances on a second by second basis.
There will also be a renewed focus on bio-energy, where power is made through biological waste.
In an interview with the Guardian, Mr Cameron stressed the role of the new technology in opening up new policies.
“It is the thing that brings our plans all together, that makes it all possible and will deliver a genuinely low-carbon world,” he said.
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg poured scorn on the webchat.
“This announcement is like David Cameron riding his bike, but what is important is what is in the car behind him,” he said.
“In there we find a Conservative party that despite all its rhetoric will dodge a vote on Heathrow’s third runway; that supports future nuclear power plants; and that’s so anti-Europe it fails to understand that the only way to fight climate change is to work together internationally.”
Yesterday the Tories decided to plough ahead with their opposition to a third Heathrow runway, with Mr Cameron confirming the party would cancel the scheme if elected.
