A ROW has broken out between leading Conservatives over plans to impose taxes on air travel, gas-guzzling cars and other environmentally damaging forms of transport.

The proposals are contained in the party’s long-awaited Quality of Life report, which will inform the Conservatives’ policies on the environment, transport, food, energy and waste.

It is expected to recommend the imposition of Vat on fuel for domestic flights and incentives to persuade air passengers to switch to trains for trips around Britain and northern Europe. It will also promote a big increase in cycling by making local authorities provide more cycle lanes and offering free bikes in cities.

The report, drawn up by Zac Goldsmith and John Gummer, is not due for publication until next week but John Redwood, a leading rightwinger, will launch an opening salvo today against some of its expected proposals, warning Gummer and Goldsmith “they need to steer a very careful course”.

In an interview with GMTV, he will warn against a freeze on airport expansion, saying: “Airports are particularly important to Britain’s economic growth.”

He will also attack plans to tax air travel, arguing that such taxes would cause “an economic loss” without “a green gain” since travellers could choose to fly from foreign airports. “You need to accept that there is going to be some airport and air travel growth and if it doesn’t happen here, it’ll happen elsewhere.”

Goldsmith’s supporters make it clear that the real differences between them and Redwood go much further than aviation. They are about the party’s core beliefs in an era when climate change and quality of life rival the economy in importance.

“We need to strike a new balance on these issues,” said shadow environment secretary Peter Ainsworth. “We need a grown-up debate to work out how to reconcile competition with protecting the environment.”

This week the Tories will announce that individual schools will be set targets for combating truancy based on local circumstances. It will enable parents to identify those that are failing to combat unauthorised absence.

The Tories argue that centrally imposed targets have failed to cut truancy, pointing to official figures that show almost 1.4m, a fifth of those at state schools, skipped lessons last year. In 1997, the figure was 1.2m.

It is part of a review of public services, headed by Stephen Dor-rell, the former cabinet minister, and Baroness Perry, the former chief schools inspector.

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