Government accused of 'massaging the statistics' on climate change amid reports ministers are planning to relax carbon emissions targets

Accusation of 'accounting tricks' comes as Labour claims senior Tories linked to climate change denial

The government has been accused of trying to "massage" its carbon emissions targets, as Labour criticised the records on climate change of several of the Tory leadership candidates.

Ministers are reportedly trying to use the fact that the UK achieved higher-than-expected reductions in emissions in recent years to justify relaxing future targets.

After pressure from Philip Hammond, the chancellor, minsters are expected to ease the target for emissions in the period beginning in 2023, despite its advisory panel on climate change urging them not to do so.

The Committee on Climate Change has said rules that allow targets to be altered to reflect past and current performance should not be used to allow more emissions​, but Greg Clark, the business secretary, is set to ignore the recommendation, according to the Financial Times.

Ministers are also yet to accept the CCC's proposal of a net zero carbon emissions target by 2050, although Theresa May is expected to do so before she leaves office at the end of July.

The UK's plan for reducing carbon emissions includes a sequence of five-year "carbon budgets" designed to gradually cut emissions.

Emissions reductions during the second carbon budget, between 2013 and 2017, were greater than expected and so the Treasury is reported to be proposing relaxing the target for the next carbon budget to give the next government an "insurance policy". Official projections suggest the government is on course to meet its target during the current carbon budget, but will miss the target for the next budget, which runs from 2023 to 2027.

Responding to the reports, Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary, said: "We're facing the greatest challenge faced by any generation, and this government's response is to massage the statistics. They should concentrate on getting to grips with the problem, not accounting tricks."

Earlier, Ms Long-Bailey had accused government ministers of being involved in climate change denial.

Standing in for Jeremy Corbyn at Prime Minister's Questions, she said: "How much authority does the government really have on climate change?

"Three current ministers ‘have denied’ the scientific consensus on climate change.

“And several of those standing in the Tory leadership contest, have close links with organisations and individuals ‘promoting’ climate change.”

Labour highlighted a 2015 newspaper column by Boris Johnson, in which the current Tory leadership frontrunner argued that warmer weather was not a result of human-caused climate change.

He wrote: "It is fantastic news that the world has agreed to cut pollution and help people save money, but I am sure that those global leaders were driven by a primitive fear that the present ambient warm weather is somehow caused by humanity; and that fear – as far as I understand the science – is equally without foundation."

It also said Michael Gove, another leadership contender, had previously suggested that schools should not be teaching pupils that climate science was right. Mr Gove has since been praised for a number of his policies as environment secretary. In April of this year, he said: "I recognise we have not done nearly enough to deal with the problem of climate change.”

Most recently, Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, appeared to suggest that there were valid criticisms of climate change science, telling the Commons: “Whether or not individuals accept the current scientific consensus on the causes of climate change, it is sensible for everyone to use finite resources in a responsible way."

Labour said other ministers had accepted donations from people involved in climate change denial.

The government has been contacted for comment.