Environment Secretary Hilary Benn today failed to turn up for the launch of Britain’s first bioethanol plant. He was due to perform the opening ceremony.
Neither was he in the Commons to answer questions about the latest reported outbreak of foot and mouth at Pirbright. He took the easy way out by slipping out the information by written statement.
Food and Farming Minister Lord Rooker stepped in to his shoes for the Norfolk bioethanol launch at the last minute.
I’ve just spoken to my MEP Robert Sturdy about this, he was among the guests who did turn up for the launch. He was told that the Environment Secretary was unable to attend as he personally had be in the Commons to make a statement on foot and mouth, but as we know he did not turn up.
So where was Hilary Benn today, have you seen him?
What I would also like to know is, how many outlets are there for this fuel in the UK, what does it cost compared to unleaded petrol, and will our Government be leading the way by insisting all its vehicles are run on this “green fuel”?
Perhaps he’s got the flu?
Ellee,
I’d like to know how many acres would be needed to grow the crops necessary to produce biofuel if we all decided to go down that road. Would it leave any space to grow crops or graze animals?
Yeah Elle,
give the old boy a break
maybe he forgot to take his pensioner’s flu jab
Is this bio-ethanol gonna put the price of sugar up. Or is it gonna be surplus subsidised sugar (EU subsidised sugar beat) they are gonna use to convert to ethanol
Ooops sorry I was thinking of Tony Benn.
Maybe Hilary was looking after ‘pops’ with flu
It does put his commitment to the ‘environment’ in question. But can you take anything too seriously in life, when you are stuck with the same name as Clinton’s wife.
He’s probably been informed that bioethanol is looking increasingly less green as an alternative fuel.
I see Cameron has got plenty to batter Gordon Brown with this week:
£25 billion for Northern Rock?
an onslaught in the House of Lords from previous Chiefs of Defence, about lack of hard cash support for the armed forces …
plenty to keep chipping away at the old block with
i saw brown’s press confrence today, and the questions regarding benn-for some strange reason-seemd to revolve around issues other than biofuels.
has anyone here noticed that just before the 2006 u.s. elections the republicans endured (and may yet endure) a scandal of a similar nature involving a man named abramoff?
strange coincidence indeed.