“There is no climate emergency” according to a parliamentary candidate for Reading East.

Craig Morley, the Conservative Party’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Reading East, has hit out at Reading Borough Council (RBC) for declaring a climate emergency.

He said the climate is changing but there is no consensus on what will happen in future, or what the impacts will be.

Councillor Tony Page, lead member for Strategic Environment at RBC, said Mr Morley “seems to be a climate denier” and was attacking his own party’s views.

A climate emergency was declared by RBC earlier this year, committing to reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2030.

The Conservative candidate today retweeted an article from the Washington Times alleging that scientists had told the UN global climate summit that ‘there is no climate emergency’.

He also accused Extinction Rebellion & Labour activists of “knee-jerk doom mongering economic vandalism”.

Mr Morley was previously head of climate change and energy for South China for the Foreign Office.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “There is no denying the climate is changing. Looking at the future and what the impact will be this is where the climate emergency issues has crept in.

“There very different opinions on how quickly it is going to change. We shouldn’t have councils declaring a climate emergency when the evidence is not there. If an academic consensus emerges then by all means.

“We should prepare for a worst case scenario but that doesn’t mean we should run around like headless chickens and not consider the economic impact and impact on people.

“If you introduce a tax on air travel it impacts most on the poorest as would a congestion charge in Reading.

“The wealthy can afford to. The poorer people will disproportionately bear the brunt.”

Cllr Page, who earlier this year tabled a motion to declare a climate emergency and commit to reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2030, said: “[Mr Morley] seems to be a climate denier”.

“Half of this drivel is an attack on the Conservatives.

“Is this man at all aware of the evidence that his party and his government embraces?

“As many Tory councils have declared climate emergencies as Labour councils. In fact, maybe more.

“My first challenge to Mr Morley is to do your homework and talk to your Tory colleagues at Reading Borough.

“I cannot believe they would support this over the top Jeremy Clarkson award for ignorance.

“Unlike Donald Trump and large swathes of America, most people in Britain realise that there is a climate emergency. “

The Washington Times article shared by Mr Morley is based on claims by the Climate Intelligence Foundation (Clintel), a prominent climate science denial organisation.

Clintel is led by Guus Berkhout, an engineer who used to work for Shell.