Nigel Lawson points out that UK has signed up to binding climate change targets, but rest of world has not

Former Chancellor Nigel Lawson took part in yesterday's question time in the Lords on the Cancun climate change summit.

Lord Lawson of Blaby: "My Lords, I join my noble friend in his satisfaction with an outcome that binds no country to anything at all. In that event, however, does he not agree that the position of the United Kingdom, which, alone in the world, has bound itself legally to a massive decarbonisation agreement at huge cost and by a specific date, is utterly incomprehensible, not to say quixotic?"

Lord Marland, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change: "As I think the noble Baroness said, there are a few cynics in the House, although they might claim to be realists. I believe that the fundamental Conservative principle is that we put the taxpayer first, as the noble Lord so excellently did when I worshipped him as the great reforming Chancellor. However, he also knows that Britain is a great country because it has shown leadership, and this is what we are doing; we are putting Britain at the forefront of this by showing leadership."

From Hansard.