THE decision by David Cameron to cycle to work each day symbolised the reinvention of the Tories as the blue party that thought green.

But last night the Conservative leader’s carbon-friendly cycling was exposed as nothing more than, well, spin. Last Wednesday Mr Cameron set off as usual for Westminster on his mountain bike. But as the photographers captured him confidently pedalling away, a sleek limousine pulled up outside his Notting Hill home. Out stepped Mr Cameron’s chauffeur to collect a package. Two minutes later he set off for Westminster bearing a pair of polished shoes, a briefcase and a crisp new shirt for his Lycra-clad boss. One 9km car journey and 1.7kg of carbon emissions later, and Mr Cameron was reunited with his documents and clothes for the office.

Tim Jackson, from the Centre for Environmental Strategy at the University of Surrey, said that the revelations, in today’s Daily Mirror, showed that Mr Cameron’s environmental pitch to voters was “just spin and rhetoric”.

He said: “If he was doing what he said [cycling to work] his carbon emissions would be zero. If this turns out to be true [his chauffeur regularly driving to Westminster] then it blows Mr Cameron’s reputation out of the water.”

Since being elected party leader Mr Cameron has introduced several initiatives on the environment, including setting up a policy group with Zac Goldsmith, editor of the Ecologist magazine. He has also pledged to install a wind turbine on the roof of his family home as part of a £10,000 eco-makeover.

Last week he was criticised by green campaigners after failing to pick the most environmentally friendly option for his new car. The Conservative Party has decided not to accept the government-provided car for its leader and chosen to lease, at normal commercial rates, a Lexus GS 450h, the carbon emissions from which are far higher than one of the government options, a petrol-electric hybrid Toyota Prius.

However, the Lexus, also a hybrid, produces fewer emissions than the government-provided Vauxhall Omega that he currently uses.

The Tories admitted last night that Mr Cameron’s chauffeur regularly picked up his belongings, adding: “David Cameron has always enjoyed cycling and if he could carry all of his documents for work he would. But he has changed his car for one that has lower carbon emissions and he has made other personal changes to help the environment such as making his home more energy-efficient, and changed his electricity supply to renewable energy.”

Yesterday Mr Cameron was again out demonstrating his desire to stamp out carbon emissions by extolling the virtues of public transport in Bury. He had arrived by helicopter.

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