21 September 2023 - Rishi Sunak backtracks on Net Zero policies
Rishi Sunak’s anti-green turn on Britain’s climate targets
(The Economist, 20/09/2023)
In a hastily arranged speech on September 20th, Rishi Sunak promised a “new approach” to Britain’s climate policy. The prime minister snipped at his predecessors for imposing unnecessary costs on people rather than letting them choose when to make changes.
Tories at war over Rishi Sunak’s betrayal of net zero pledge
Adam Forrest and Archie Mitchell (The Independent, 21/09/2023)
Rishi Sunak has sparked a furious civil war in the Tory party after backtracking on a key government climate pledge to reach net zero.
After 24 hours of frenetic political briefing, the prime minister held a hastily convened press conference at Downing Street to announce that the 2030 ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars – and gas boilers – would be pushed back to 2035.
Rishi Sunak watering down green pledges not a 'cynical ploy' but what is 'right', says business secretary
Tim Baker (Sky News, 21/09/2023)
Rishi Sunak's watering down of climate pledges is not a "cynical ploy" - but is rather the prime minister doing "what is right", Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has said.
Sunak should be wary of backtracking on net zero – what history tells us about flip-flopping on the environment
Marc Hudson (The Conversation, 20/09/2023)
Rishi Sunak has delivered a speech in which he announced delays to key net zero targets, including postponing the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars until 2035. It is a remarkable event given that the UK Conservative party has at least paid lipservice to environmental concerns for the last 50 years, at times even outflanking Labour.