Starmer refuses to back reduction in meat-eating

Sir Keir Starmer has skewered efforts by his chief climate change adviser to encourage people to eat less meat by reducing their intake by the equivalent of two kebabs a week.

- DAVID MADDOX

The prime minister was famously vegetarian for 30 years and did not let his children eat meat until they were 10 but has insisted that he does not want to get involved in people’s personal decisions on how they live their lives.

Sir Keir was challenged after remarks by Emily Nurse, head of net zero at the Climate Change Committee. In a recent interview, she said: “We are absolutely not saying everyone needs to be vegan. But we do expect to see a shift in dietary habits to get to net zero.”