Hutton's move to MoD will clear way for greener agenda

By Geoffrey Lean, Environment EditorSunday, 5 October 2008

Gordon Brown's Government will become greener as a result of his reshuffle. The promotion of his close ally Ed Miliband, to head a new Department of Energy and Climate Change, shows the Prime Minister is to put an increased priority on global warming.
And moving the former business secretary John Hutton to the Ministry of Defence suggests that controversial plans to build the UK's first coal-fired power station for 34 years, at Kingsnorth in Kent, will be examined more critically. Downing Street regards Mr Hutton, who was shortly due formally to give his verdict, as "ideologically committed" to the plant. Mr Hutton came under heavy pressure – from cabinet colleagues David Miliband and Hilary Benn as well as environmentalists – not to permit the building of the plant until it was equipped with technology, still in development, to capture the CO2.
Mr Miliband will review the proposal for the plant – which would emit three times as much carbon dioxide as the country of Rwanda – with an open mind before taking the issue to Cabinet for a full decision on whether it is to go ahead. The Government's commitment to nuclear power remains unchanged. The reshuffle is also likely to help Britain's drive to get 15 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.
The reappointment to the Cabinet of Margaret Beckett, who campaigned on combating global warming as both Environment and Foreign secretary under Tony Blair, will also help green the Government. And even Peter Mandelson has become more interested in climate change while serving as a European Commissioner.