The Shadow Chancellor, George Osborne, has made a series of policy announcements on how a Conservative Treasury would tackle climate change and stimulate investment in new green technologies.

George Osborne: "The Government is on course to miss every one of its major environmental targets".

As part of a special series of speeches to be given by six Shadow Cabinet ministers, a new Conservative government is giving a powerful demonstration that their commitment to the environment is as strong as ever.

George Osborne lamented the Treasury’s record on tackling Climate change:

“Quite frankly, when it comes to environmental policy the Treasury has often been at best indifferent, and at worst obstructive.

“How telling that Alistair Darling has not given a single major speech on the environment for two years now”.

Mr. Osborne announced a series of policies that would put a Conservative Treasury at the heart of developing a green economy. Policies that would see the Conservative government lead by example, a government prepared to learn from companies, and a government that will encourage recycling through incentives not taxes.

The Treasury would lead the development of a low carbon economy and finance a green recovery through:

• Cutting government emissions by ten per cent within twelve months - Saving up to £300 million a year in reduced energy bills. This is the most ambitious commitment on UK government emissions ever made.

• Working with Britain’s leading companies to cut government emissions. - Three of Britain’s most successful companies – Tesco, BT and B&Q have agreed to provide a Conservative government with expert advice on how to reduce carbon emissions.

• Creating Britain’s first Green Investment Bank - The creation of a new lending institution, which will draw together money currently divided across existing micro government initiatives, and leverage private sector capital to finance new green technology start-ups.

• Paying the public to recycle - In place of Labour’s bin taxes, we will help every council to pay the public to recycle

Mr. Osborne ended his speech by commenting:

“Under a Conservative government, the Treasury will no longer be the cuckoo in the Whitehall nest when it comes to climate change. If I become Chancellor, the Treasury will become a green ally, not a foe”.

Eric Ollerenshaw, the Parliamentary Candidate for Lancaster and Fleetwood, sees this green recovery as not just the fight against climate change, but the fight for jobs, the fight for new industry, the fight for lower family energy bills and the fight for less wasteful government.

“I especially welcome the plans to scrap the Labour governments unpopular Bin Tax.  A recent large scale survey conducted by local Conservative volunteers  in our constituency showed that 80% of those surveyed were against ‘Pay to Throw’ proposals.”