Rishi Sunak plans to weaken key green policies – BBC

Rishi Sunak plans to weaken some of the government’s key green commitments in a major policy shift.

This could include delaying the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and phasing out gas boilers, several sources told the BBC.

The Prime Minister is set to outline the changes in a speech in the coming days.

In response to the announced plans, he said the government was committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050, but in a “more proportionate way”.

The net zero aim is for the UK to remove as many greenhouse gas emissions – such as carbon dioxide – from the atmosphere as it emits.

The Prime Minister said: “For too many years, politicians in governments of all stripes have not been honest about costs and trade-offs. Instead, they took the easy way out, claiming we can have it all.

“This realism does not mean losing our ambition or abandoning our commitments. Far from it.

“I’m proud that Britain is leading the world on climate change.”

He said the UK was committed to the international climate agreements it had already reached.

“No leak will stop me from beginning the process of explaining to the country how and why we need to change,” he said.

Mr Sunak added that he would make a speech later this week “to set out an important long-term decision that we need to make in order for our country to become the place that I know we all want it to be for our children”.

If he pursues this plan, it would represent a significant shift in the Conservative Party’s approach to net zero emissions policy, as well as establishing a clear dividing line with the Labor Party.

According to several sources briefed on Downing Street’s thinking, Mr Sunak would use his speech to hail the UK as a world leader on net zero emissions.

But he would also argue that Britain has done too hard in the fight against climate change and that other countries need to do more to help.

Some details of the speech are said to still be under discussion, but as things stand it could include up to seven fundamental policy changes or commitments, documents seen by the BBC suggest.

Firstly, the government would push back the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars – currently due to come into force in 2030 – to 2035. The 2030 date has been government policy since 2020.

Second, the government would significantly weaken plans to phase out the installation of gas boilers by 2035, saying it wants only 80% to be phased out by that year.

Third, homeowners and landlords would be informed that there will be no new regulations on home energy efficiency. Ministers were considering imposing fines on landlords who fail to improve their properties to achieve a certain level of energy efficiency.

Fourth, the ban on off-grid oil boilers by 2026 will be delayed until 2035, with only an 80% phase-out target by that date.

In addition, Britons will be told there will be no new taxes to discourage air travel, no government policies to change people’s diets and no measures to encourage carpooling.

Mr Sunak is also likely to rule out what he sees as expensive recycling schemes.

A Labor spokesperson said: “This is a complete farce. The country cannot continue with a Conservative government in total disarray, stumbling from crisis to crisis.

“Ministers must urgently provide clarity on the eight policies that should be reviewed.”

Conservative MP Chris Skidmore, former chair of the UK government’s net zero review, said diluting green policies would “cost the UK jobs, inward investment and future economic growth that could have been the ours by engaging in the industries of the future.”

“Rishi Sunak still has time to think again and not make the biggest mistake of his term, condemning the UK to missing what could be the opportunity of the decade to deliver growth, jobs and future prosperity,” he said.

Former Conservative minister Sir Alok Sharma, who was chair of the COP26 climate summit, said the UK had been a leader on climate action “but we cannot rest on our laurels”.

“The fact that a party withdraws from this program will not help economically or electorally,” he added.

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas called any return to net zero “economically illiterate, historically inaccurate and ecologically stupid”.

But Tory MP Craig Mackinlay, who chairs the net zero monitoring group, said he was “pleased to see some pragmatism” from Mr Sunak.

Pushing back the dates of net zero emissions targets “will result in “greenwashing” measures in the sky beyond clearly unachievable deadlines”.

Former Conservative minister David Jones said changing green policies was ‘inevitable and reasonable’, adding that continuing the ban on new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 would ‘seriously harm the UK car industry’ .

On Thursday, the king will make a state visit to France, where he will host what is being called a Climate Mobilization Forum.

The event brings together climate finance specialists and aims to help developing economies adapt to reduce their emissions.

The King will be accompanied by Foreign Minister James Cleverly.