Ban all single-use plastics to save oceans, argue Lib Dems

ALL single-use plastics should be banned within three years, senior Liberal Democrats will propose today in a bid to take more drastic action to protect the environment.

In an attempt to ratchet up pressure on Theresa May’s Government, the Lib Dems will today debate plans to eradicate plastic carrier bags, as well as a “latte levy” to reduce the use of disposable coffee cups.

Putting forward a motion at the party’s conference in Brighton, MPS will argue that a wholesale ban on plastics is required to tackle the polluting of the world’s oceans. It comes after The Daily Telegraph revealed last month that the 5p carrier bag charge is set to double under government plans, following an 85 per cent reduction in their use since it was introduced in October 2015.

Last night, Alistair Carmichael, the MP for Orkney and Shetland, said that only a complete ban would be enough to “reverse the tide of plastic flowing into our oceans”.

He added: “Liberal Democrats demand better than a dithering Conservative Government. We demand immediate action to challenge our throwaway culture and to stop the oceans from becoming a plastic soup.”