28/06/07 - Neil Parish MEP Calls For Sense From Lib Dem's in Brussels

Lib Dem proposal would lead to 19,000 UK job losses

By Neil Parish MEP

A Liberal Democrat report in the European Parliament aimed at reducing car CO2 emissions would mean the end of the road for Land Rover and Jaguar - and put the 19,000 people employed by the two vehicle manufacturers out of work, Neil Parish, south west Conservative MEP, warned today.

The Lib Dem environment spokesman Chris Davies MEP is calling for a total ban on all cars emitting more than 240g of CO2 per km by 2015. Only one out of Land Rover and Jaguar's entire model range currently falls below such a limit.

He also says that new vehicles should not be awarded 'type approval' (permission to be sold) in the EU if they are built to exceed 101mph.

Mr Parish said:

"We all agree that CO2 from cars needs to be reduced, but this should be done responsibly and gradually.

"To simply close down highly successful companies at the stroke of a pen is crazy. I am sure that both Jaguar and Land Rover will play a part in reducing their average emissions - and 19,000 Land Rover and Jaguar employees will want to know whether these proposals represent official Lib Dem policy.

"We should be battling climate change with carrots like new technology, not banning everything and beating anyone who emits carbon with a stick."

Neil was first elected MEP for the South West region in 1999. He is Conservative Spokesman on Agriculture and Fisheries. He was Assistant Whip for the Conservatives in the European Parliament from 1999-2001, and Conservative spokesman on Fisheries until 2001. He is a member of the Agriculture Committee, and substitute member of the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy Committee and the ACP-EU Joint Assembly.

Brussels, June 27th 2007