British food firms lobbied to defer £1.7bn plastic packaging tax, documents reveal

New scheme to improve recycling rates and tackle pollution was pushed back by Tories after industry complaints

Lobbyists for Britain's biggest food brands successfully pushed for a 1.7bn packaging tax to be deferred, new documents reveal.

The fees for a new scheme to improve recycling rates and tackle plastic pollution were due to be imposed this month, but were delayed for a year by the last Tory government after the industry complained about the costs in a series of private meetings.