Brighton's Green MP described Conservative MP David Davies as a “fruitcake”

after he embarked on an impassioned speech claiming environmentalists inhabit a “fantasy world”.

The Tory MP for Monmouth attacked environmentalists who refuse to support nuclear energy or shale gas exploitation despite the fact that they reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

He said they would “get rid of technology” and live in “Tolkien-esque wonderful grass huts” and likened the green lobby to the Luddites who “smashed up spinning wheels”.

He told the Commons during a debate on the Queen’s Speech: “I look at the environmentalists, I see them saying to me the most important thing that we have to do is to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions, but whenever everyone puts solutions in front of them that would reduce carbon dioxide emissions but deliver cheap electricity that we all need, they don’t want to know.”

Ms Lucas intervened in Mr Davies’ speech, saying it was “rubbish”, adding: “I thought that the discussion about Europe was where we found the fruitcakes, I’m finding something else here this afternoon.”