New Coal Fool found at the Department for Business on Fossil Fool’s Day

Westminster awoke to cries of “Roll up! Roll up! Come see the Fossil Fool” at 8am this morning as 15 jesters and 30 protestors arrived at the department for business and regulatory reform to laugh at John Hutton, the minister responsible for the government’s push to build a string of new coal-fired power stations in the UK. Carrying banners which read: “New Coal? You must be choking!” the campaigners were juggling coal and planet Earths and wearing John Hutton ‘jester’ masks and hats. They called on Gordon Brown to take charge of John Hutton’s rogue coal plans and launch a coal power strategy review to consider the climate impact of going back to dirty coal.This protest comes a day after energy giant E.ON asked John Hutton should delay the decision on the plans to build a coal fire power station in Kingsnorth inKent. E.ON wants the government to postpone the decision until after the consultation into carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been completed.Benedict Southworth, director of the World Development Movement said: “John Hutton must not be a fossil fool, and force the UK to become reliant on the dirtiest fuel known to man. He must freeze his support for new coal power. If he irresponsibly pushes his plans forward, he will entrench the deep cabinet divide over reverting to coal energy and the government will be in trouble over coal.”Gordon Brown must realise that the only sensible course of action now is to completely review his policy on coal in the UK, and call a coal power review that will consider the climate impact of going back to dirty coal.”And Brown must remember that this is not only a decision that will affect the UK, but will have huge consequences for the world’s poor who will be hit first and worst by climate change.”For more information or comment, please call:Kate Blagojevic on 020 7820 4900 / 4913 or 07711 875 345.