Green politics will not go away in a recession - Hughes

11.00.00am GMT Thu 8th Jan 2009

"I am delighted to be asked by Nick Clegg to lead Liberal Democrat policy making and campaigning on climate change, energy and the environment into the next general election.

In the best of times and the worst of times working to save our planet in the interests of all who live on it must remain the highest priority.

The immediate need in Britain is to have a new deal on energy pricing - so that poorer people and those who use least are charged at the lowest rates and big and wasteful users pay their fair share.

The other urgent task is for us all to adapt to use limited resources least and renewable resources more.

Green politics will not go away in a recession. But in difficult economic times, energy and environment policies must always aim to make life better not harder for all."