The Green Party has responded to the Government announcement that it will end to the sale of plastic straws, drink stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds, subject to consultation.
Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, said:
"It is welcome to see the Government tackling the straws, stirrers and cotton buds choking our oceans and blighting our environment. Now it must see these plans through to action, and bring forward the utterly unambitious target of eliminating all avoidable plastic waste by 2042.
"But the Government must also recognise climate change threatens to undermine the success of any action on plastic. It is futile ridding our oceans of plastic if they are so warm fish cannot survive.
"If Ministers really care about our marine life they must stand up to fossil fuel firms and commit to keeping oil and gas in the ground. We need to ban fracking and end the fuel duty freeze, while committing to an Environment Act and investment in renewable energy to protect our planet for future generations."