Gordon Brown has warned that he will force retailers to cut down on plastic bags if they fail to do so on their own initiative.
Brown praised Marks & Spencer for acting voluntarily, following its announcement that it will charge food shoppers 5p for each bag from May 6.
But he stood firm on how he will deal with the situation if other retailers do not follow suit. “If government compulsion is needed to make the change, we will take the necessary steps,” he wrote in the Daily Mail.
Brown warned that if retailers do not take action, the government would be "ready to do what it can”.
He said: “We do not take such steps lightly - but the damage that single-use plastic bags inflict on the environment is such that strong action must be taken.”
He added that, ideally, any scheme to cut down on plastic bag use would also secure funds for environmental organisations.
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