Haringey Lib Dems have severely criticised comments by Justin Hinchcliffe, Chair of Tottenham Tories, for comments denying that climate change is caused by human activity.

In his blog, Mr Hinchcliffe states, “The point is that it is not caused by the CO2 emitted by human development – it is not caused by MAN.”

Councillor Bob Hare, Lib Dem Environment Spokesperson, comments:

“As a society we should never be afraid of healthy debate, but when such a strong consensus exists from the respected scientific community, who know a whole lot more about this than Justin, you have to wonder what planet he’s living on.

“It just shows that David Cameron’s attempt to re-brand the Tories is just a PR exercise. No matter how many trees they have in their logo, their pronouncements on the environment are just plain old green wash to make voters think they are more environmental friendly than they really are. These comments reveal the Tories in their true colours when it comes to climate change.”

Councillor Ed Butcher, Deputy Environment Spokesperson for Haringey Lib Dems, adds:

“Comments like these make me shiver and remind me of the drivel we used to hear from oil companies who spent million on PR trying to convince the world that climate change didn’t exist. Thankfully, they have woken up to their responsibility to the environment – maybe local Tories should too.”