Gordon Brown dubbed ‘most environmentally destructive politician.’

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, has been awarded a 'Grey Ribbon' booby prize for the 'Most Environmentally Destructive Politician' at the Sixth Annual Award Ceremony of the Green Ribbon Political Awards, organised by Environmental Policy Consultants and Green Futures Magazine.


While Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, Environment Minister Michael Meacher and Labour MP Alan Simpson all won Green Awards, the Chancellor was awarded his booby prize for failing to deliver his ‘Green Budget,’ for reducing VAT on fuel and; for “a general disregard for environmental priorities, and, being a real obstacle to Britain becoming a more sustainable nation.”

John Prescott was awarded Best Environmental Achievement for his “robustness in leading the UK’s Kyoto (Climate Change) delegation” and for his contribution to the SINTRA agreement (which tightened curbs on discharges of wastes into the seas).

Michael Meacher was awarded a Special Environmental Achievement for “almost single-handedly keeping the green flame flickering within Government; and for courageous pursuance of environmental objectives, sometimes even at the risk of his own political career.”

Alan Simpson won Best MP for “his ability to marry environmental priorities with the social justice agenda”; and for his work on issues as diverse as energy efficiency, climate change, the future of communities hit by the closure of heavy industries and genetically modified organisms.

Lib Dem MP Norman Baker, who recently forced the UK government to admit traffic levels will be 37% higher in 2010 than in 1990 was awarded Best Newcomer MP.

There were no winners from the Conservative Party or for any Member of the House of Lords and only one Conservative nomination for a Green Ribbon Award.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Joshcka Fischer won a Green Ribbon for “most inspirational politician worldwide”; Friends of the Earth Parliamentary Campaigner, Ron Bailey, won an Award for five major environment related parliamentary successes over the 1997-98 Parliamentary session. GenetiX Snowball won the prize for best environmental campaign by an environmental organisation.

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