While the major tensions at today’s Prime Minister’s Questions were around the Tory party and Europe, another split within the government – this time between the two coalition parties – was visible too. Ed Miliband used his second set of questions to attack the Prime Minister on the Heseltine review, which he linked to John Hayes’ comments about wind farms to the Mail and the Telegraph. Hayes had told journalists that ‘enough is enough’ on wind farms, adding that ‘I can’t single-handedly build a new Jerusalem but I can protect our green and pleasant land’. Miliband said:
‘He says there’s no strategy for jobs and growth, business has no confidence in him and business regulation – his chosen approach – is not the answer… he says ‘the government needs to set out a definitive and unambiguous energy policy; this is obviously an appropriate day… to be considering this recommendation. So his Energy Minister says he’s against wind farms and enough is enough… his Energy Secretary says he’s ‘gung-ho for them’: who speaks for the government?’
It was a later question from Liberal Democrat Julian Huppert which really threw open the tensions between Conservative Energy Minister John Hayes and Lib Dem Energy Secretary Ed Davey. Huppert asked whether the coalition would remain the ‘greenest government ever’. David Cameron replied:
‘This is indeed a very green government and it is sticking to its promises.’
But he also told MPs:
‘But, frankly, all parties are going to have to have a debate in this House and outside this House about what happens once those targets are met.’
The Lib Dems are making very clear that Ed Davey had vetoed Hayes’ lines attacking wind farms from the speech he gave to the Renewables conference in Glasgow. In the end, he made his remarks to journalists after the speech. I understand that the reason for Hayes pursuing the line even though his departmental boss had told him not to was that a message on wind farms was deemed important for the forthcoming Corby by-election. But this split will continue long after 15 November.
Comments