A government minister who called Ryanair the “irresponsible face of capitalism” was given a sharp dressing down by David Miliband, the Environment Secretary.

Ian Pearson, climate change minister in Mr Miliband’s department, was told to “get back in your box and stay there” after accusing the airline industry of failing to take climate change seriously.

Mr Miliband’s adviser said that the Secretary of State had not known of Mr Pearson’s comments in advance and had made his displeasure known in a telephoneconversation.

Mr Pearson said that the Government would resist lobbying by the airline industry to delay market-based curbs being placed on emissions.

The EU has announced plans to include all European flights in a carbon trading scheme from 2011 and international flights from 2012. Airlines claim that ticket prices will rise as a result and are trying to scupper its introduction.

Mr Pearson described as “disgraceful” threats by American airlines to take legal action and said that British Airways was “only just about playing ball” by trying to confine the scheme to European flights. He also launched a personal attack on Michael O’Leary, the chief executive of Ryanair, saying he was “completely off the wall”.

“When it comes to climate change, Ryanair are not just the unacceptable face of capitalism, they are the irresponsible face of capitalism. O’Leary just seems to take pride in refusing to recognise that climate change is a genuine problem,” Mr Pearson told The Guardian .

Mr Miliband’s adviser made it clear that he was deeply unhappy with the comments. She said: “While of course we have to reduce emissions, we would never single out individual airlines. The same would apply to the Government, farming and individuals. This is not how you make government policy.”

She also suggested that while Mr Pearson had been involved in discussions on the EU carbon trading scheme, Mr Miliband would in future take the lead.

Last night Mr Pearson stood by his comments but admitted that some of the language he had used was “intemperate”.

Mr O’Leary said that Ryanair was Europe’s greenest and cleanest airline but the carbon trading scheme was “just another way of greedy politicians grabbing more money from passengers”.

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