Labour to set legal limit on UK carbon emissions

Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown delivers a speech on the environment. Photograph: Lefteris Pitarakis/AP
Tony Blair and Gordon Brown will today announce plans to introduce legally binding limits on carbon emissions that will be set at five-year intervals.

The new green law will also place a duty on ministers to report every year on the progress being made and the action being taken to ensure the UK stays on track.

The unexpected move to introduce "carbon budgets" is designed to head off criticism from Tories and some Labour backbenchers who wanted the government to sign up for legally binding 3% a year emissions cuts. The government will claim that the five-year model, to be outlined in the draft climate change bill, is a more intelligent and flexible policy.

The proposals are likely to be fiercely contested and come as David Cameron and Gordon Brown have been vying for the mantle of green champion.

The prime minister will say the aim of the budgets is to provide certainty to business about the government's commitment to cut emissions. They will be part of the government's strategy to meet a new statutory duty to reduce UK carbon emissions by 60% by 2050.

Under the proposals, if the government fails to make the necessary progress in the first period, ministers would have to take urgent remedial action. A new independent body monitoring emissions will also be set up as part of the bill. If this decrees the government is not going to stay within its "budget", it will have powers to inform parliament and recommend action.

The bill will also give ministers wide enabling powers allowing them to introduce measures to meet the targets.

Mr Blair is likely to highlight plans for a UK carbon emissions trading scheme covering supermarkets, local authorities, and other organisations not covered by the existing EU emissions trading scheme.

The environment secretary, David Miliband, will also continue to defend his proposal for personal carbon budgets, but admits insufficient work has been done.

Mr Cameron came under sustained attack for proposing an annual air miles "allowance" of around 2,000 miles.

The prime minister's spokesman said it was mistaken to place so much emphasis on aviation, yet the government's own policy review document published in January warns of the critical importance of cutting aviation emissions.