Labour has been criticised by a former government adviser for not doing enough to reduce harmful carbon emissions.

Sir Jonathan Porritt claimed that during the 1990s, the party got "seduced" by the idea of running the economy in a Thatcherite way.

Speaking to BBC News, he described this economic model as "hostile" to the concept of sustainable development.

However, the government has been quick to refute Sir Jonathan's suggestions, insisting that it has a strong record on reducing carbon emissions.

A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change stated that the UK is moving "further and faster" towards becoming a low carbon economy.

"The UK's leadership on climate change is rooted in a strong record at home," he added.

In fairness, the government did recently pledge to have 40 per cent of our electricity generated from low carbon sources by 2020, which means that well before this time, many of us could be living in truly green homes.

However, campaign groups and prominent figures such as Sir Jonathan are always likely to argue that more can still be done.

But if that provokes stronger action to protect our planet, I don't see that as a bad thing.