Emily Thornberry has beaten Tory leader David Cameron to the title of Environment Champion of the year.
At the ePolitix.com's annual Charity Champion Awards last night, Labour ministers Hilary Benn and Ed Balls picked up awards, as did Tory frontbenchers Ed Vaizey and Greg Clark. But the surprise of the night was Emily's victory from the backbenches over David Cameron, who has made the environment a central plank of his leadership.
Emily was nominated for the award by environmental charity WWF. Paul King, Director of Campaigns for WWF, said:
"Emily has been a fantastic advocate for the environment, achieving a great deal in a short time. Since she became an MP in 2005 she has championed WWF's work, advancing parliamentary debate about critical issues like climate change and holding the Government to account - sometimes critical, but always constructive. She has worked tirelessly on a number of WWF's campaigns, from environmentally friendly housing to the marine bill."
Accepting the award, Emily said:
"It is a real honour to receive this award, particularly as the only person nominated for this award to have never been near a front bench. It reminds us that backbenchers have an important role to play in what the Government does. This gives me the chance to thank WWF for all the invaluable work that they do for the environment engaging the public and not letting us politicians off the hook"
