A climate activist has defended protests yesterday (13 September) which led to five-hour delays on the M25, saying any backlash is 'ridiculous'.
Liam Norton from Insulate Britain - a campaign group launched by former members of Extinction Rebellion - appeared on Good Morning Britain earlier today, where he received a grilling from presenter Susanna Reid about the additional fuel emissions the protests will have caused.
Reid said to him: "Traffic delays which add to vehicle admissions - you realise that that's what happened yesterday?"
Norton replied: "Susanna, you and I both know that that statement is ridiculous."
Advert
Reid continued: "Well, you've said it's ridiculous. I'm saying that the point about traffic admissions is certainly not ridiculous.
"Idling traffic - because you've held it up for hours - is not healthy for our air pollution, is it?"
Norton hit back: "Susanna, I'll repeat. You're fully aware that what you've just said is ridiculous."
Advert
Referring to the £1.3 billion the government has set aside this year to help people install energy efficient measures in their homes, he added: "And what is ridiculous is the £1.3 billion of investment - that's what's ridiculous. We're talking about hundreds of billions, potentially trillions, of pounds."
Reid's fellow presenter Richard Madeley eventually joined in the debate, saying: "So Susanna is ridiculous because you say so?"
He then added that they had run out of time, ending the heated segment.
Advert
The climate protestors caused major delays along the M25 yesterday morning during rush hour, demanding government action on home insulation.
Members of Insulate Britain staged sit-down protests at Junction 3 for Swanley in Kent, Junction 6 for Godstone in Surrey, Junction 14 for Heathrow Terminal 5, Junction 20 for Kings Langley in Hertfordshire, and Junction 31 for Purfleet in Essex.
Surrey Police said 36 protesters were arrested at Junctions 6 and 14, while Essex Police said it made 12 arrests at Junction 31, and Kent Police arrested the same number of people at Junction 3.
Chief Inspector Paul Austin, of Essex Police, said: "This incident caused significant disruption and our officers worked to resolve it as quickly and safely as possible.
Advert
"I want to thank the drivers affected for their patience and understanding."
Speaking to the PA news agency yesterday, 36-year-old Norton said he was 'shocked at the lack of significant action from our government'.
The electrician from London said: "It's a no brainer. Insulating Britain will reduce emissions, provide hundreds of thousands of jobs and stop our elderly dying in cold homes each winter. So stop messing about, Boris, and get on with the job.
Advert
"As soon as a statement is made that we can trust and is meaningful, we will get off the roads."
Featured Image Credit: ITVTopics: UK News, News, extinction rebellion, Good Morning Britain
