Time for Clegg to stand up to Cameron on cars

Local MEP and environment spokesman Chris Davies has demanded that Nick Clegg stand up to David Cameron for the sake of the UK car industry. 

Mr Davies was reacting to news that the UK sided with Germany in Brussels yesterday to delay formal approval of a deal that would make cars more fuel efficient by 2020.

EU governments were due to rubber stamp a deal bringing the current emissions limit of 130g CO2 per km by 2015 down to 95g by 2020.

Most car manufacturers in the UK are well on track to meet the new requirements but Germany is trying to protect its manufacturers who traditionally make much larger, heavier, and more polluting cars.

Chris Davies represents the North West of England, home to a number of car and automotive parts manufacturers.

Mr Davies said, “This is legislation that would require cars to do more miles to the gallon and it is good for the environment, good for drivers and good for the UK car industry.

“Thousands of jobs across the North West and the UK would be safer if this legislation went through and David Cameron is instead siding with a cosy deal with Germany to protect some of their most profitable firms.

“It is time that Nick Clegg stood up to Mr Cameron and said that enough is enough. Mr Cameron’s home constituency of Witney may not be home to a lot of manufacturing industry but northern England depends on these jobs.

“Damage to the UK car industry is too high a price to pay for Mr Cameron to have good relations with Chancellor Merkel.”

The decision has now been passed to a meeting of EU environment Ministers on 14 October.

Mr Davies, who is part of the European Parliament negotiating team on the legislation is also unhappy with the German tactics. He said, “A deal was negotiated in good faith between the Parliament and Ministers and now Germany wants to wriggle out of it. Britain should not be going along with that sort of sharp practice.”