Forestry sell-off not going well, Cameron admits
By Ian Dunt
David Cameron is not happy with his own plans to sell-off some of England’s forests, he has admitted.
The prime minister conceded that plans for the sell-off were not going well during this week’s PMQs, in which Ed Miliband tried to benefit from wide-ranging opposition to the policy.
When asked by the Labour leader if he was happy with how his ‘flagship’ forestry policy was going, the prime minister startled the Commons by giving a supremely honest answer.
“The short answer to that is no,” Mr Cameron said.
The Tory leader insisted the plans were only for a short consultation, although Mr Miliband argued the consultation was on “how” to sell off the forests, not “whether” to do so.
It was supremely ironic to see “the guy who made the tree the symbol of the Tory party selling them off”, the Labour leader added.
Friends of the Earth’s campaigner Martyn Williams said: “We’re delighted the prime minister recognises the need for UK forests to have more wildlife and greater public access.
“New laws currently going through Parliament to allow publicly-owned UK forests to be sold off must be urgently amended to reflect these concerns.”
The exchange formed the high point of an otherwise subdued PMQs, with the two men trading blows predominantly on the economy.
Mr Miliband once again decided to split his questions into two sets. Some say this prevents Mr Cameron from using his better material, which he usually reserves for the final exchanges.
Others argue that it robs the opposition leader of vital momentum.
Mr Cameron gave a substantive answer to a question on the ruling of the supreme court that people on the sex offenders’ register should be able to appeal.
Mr Cameron said that the government was “appalled” by the judgement and that it would do the minimum necessary to abide by it. It would also take the opportunity to clear up some loopholes in the law on the issue.
Importantly, the issue appears to have prompted action against the European Convention on Human Rights, with Mr Cameron saying that a commission would investigate the case for a British bill of rights “imminently”.
This week’s PMQs was the last before half term, which starts on Thursday.
