David Cameron will today reject calls from the right of his party to drop the Tories' plans for higher environmental taxes in the face of the economic downturn, insisting instead that Britain must "wean itself off fossil fuels and go green".

Business will face tougher environmental standards under a Conservative government, the party leader is expected to say in a speech in London. He will set out proposals to require the next generation of coal-fired power stations, including Eon's proposed £1.5bn new plant at Kingsnorth, to meet significantly lower emission levels.