The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has suffered his biggest Commons rebellion since taking over as prime minister, when 33 Labour MPs - half his majority - voted for an amendment to the energy bill that would have encouraged the takeup of renewable energy technologies.
Although the amendment was defeated, the introduction of a feed-in tariff, which rewards renewable generators of electricity with a fixed price for electricity they supply to the grid, has drawn widespread support from MPs and organisations.
Alan Simpson MP, who had proposed the amendment with strong cross-party support, said: "This is an important message for Gordon Brown. On the eve of the local government elections he had the biggest Labour rebellion of his premiership. What drove the Labour MPs to vote against the government was the certainty that we have very little time to get serious about climate change.
"Britain's programme is not fit for purpose. We need measures that bring us into the 21st century and feed-in tariffs are the way to do it."
Friends of the Earth's economics campaigner, Dave Timms, added: "Feed-in tariffs could provide a real financial incentive for homes, businesses and communities to install green energy systems and help tackle climate change."
Feed-in tariffs have been successfully introduced in many European Union countries and have led to rapid increases in the deployment of technologies such as solar power. Britain languishes behind all its main European Union neighbours in generating only 2% of its energy from renewables, which has not changed for seven years in spite of a succession of energy bills. The bill going through parliament envisages renewables use rising only to 5% by 2020, whereas Brussels has set the UK a target of 15%.
Energy minister Malcolm Wicks repeated last night that the government would begin a consultation on a feed-in tariff this summer.
Although the amendment was defeated, the introduction of a feed-in tariff, which rewards renewable generators of electricity with a fixed price for electricity they supply to the grid, has drawn widespread support from MPs and organisations.
Alan Simpson MP, who had proposed the amendment with strong cross-party support, said: "This is an important message for Gordon Brown. On the eve of the local government elections he had the biggest Labour rebellion of his premiership. What drove the Labour MPs to vote against the government was the certainty that we have very little time to get serious about climate change.
"Britain's programme is not fit for purpose. We need measures that bring us into the 21st century and feed-in tariffs are the way to do it."
Friends of the Earth's economics campaigner, Dave Timms, added: "Feed-in tariffs could provide a real financial incentive for homes, businesses and communities to install green energy systems and help tackle climate change."
Feed-in tariffs have been successfully introduced in many European Union countries and have led to rapid increases in the deployment of technologies such as solar power. Britain languishes behind all its main European Union neighbours in generating only 2% of its energy from renewables, which has not changed for seven years in spite of a succession of energy bills. The bill going through parliament envisages renewables use rising only to 5% by 2020, whereas Brussels has set the UK a target of 15%.
Energy minister Malcolm Wicks repeated last night that the government would begin a consultation on a feed-in tariff this summer.
Source: The Guardian| by Ashley Seager
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