Sunak hits back at Tory rebels in net zero row and outlines green plans
Rishi Sunak has hit out at Britain’s previous pro-green leaders, accusing his predecessors of being dishonest with the British public about the cost of net zero.
Speaking in Downing Street this afternoon, the PM confirmed leaked plans that he will be delaying a number of flagship net zero deadlines and targets.
These will include the ban on new petrol and diesel car sales, which has now been pushed back by five years from the current 2030 deadline.
Mr Sunak argued it “should be the consumer” making the choice about what kind of car they buy, not the Government forcing them through bans.
He said the UK has got to go further in installing electric vehicle charging points nationwide before introducing the ban.
Mr Sunak spent much of his speech justifying the bold decision to break from the national climate consensus in Westminster.
He made a number of comparisons to other countries, not least emphasising that the new 2035 petrol car ban date is actually now aligned to the target of many “progressive” European countries and US states like California.
He also argued Britain has gone further than any other developed country to reduce its climate emissions.
The PM argued it is doubly unfair to punish Brits with costly net zero policies, while Britain produces less than one percent of global emissions.
Mr Sunak said Britain has not had a proper debate about the sacrifices and trade offs net zero will require, and that we have “stumbled into a consensus about the future of our country that no one seems to be happy with”.
He accused politicians – both Labour and Tory – of taking the “easy way out”, telling voters what they want to hear but not necessarily what they need to hear.
Mr Sunak brandished his and Britain’s green credentials, regardless of today’s watering down of Net Zero pledges.
He argued Britain will enjoy huge opportunities from green industry, with economic changes as “profound as the industrial revolution”.
The PM said he had “no touch with anyone saying we lack ambition, but we have to be honest about tough choices and sacrifices”.
That involves a “meaningful democratic debate”.
“No one in Westminster politics has yet had the courage to look people in the eye and explain what’s really involved.”
He condemned the two extremist sides of the Net Zero debate, both those arguing the whole programme should be junked – or who deny climate change altogether – and groups like Just Stop Oil who want to “go even further no matter the cost or disruption to people’s lives”.
More to follow…
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