Rishi Sunak is planning to delay a ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol-powered vehicles by five years. The goal to phase out fossil fuels could be pushed back to 2035 from 2030, alongside a delay in phasing out gas boilers. Some members of Sunak's backbench MPs have long called for a watering down on green commitments amid the cost-of-living crisis. This realism doesn't mean losing our ambition or abandoned our commitments, said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. I am proud that Britain is leading the world in climate change. By 2050, we are committed to Net Zero and the agreements we have made globally - but doing so in a better, more proportionate way. No leak will stop me beginning the process of telling the country how and why we need to change, he said. Mr Sunak said he would be giving a speech this week in order to set out an important long-term decision we need to make so our country becomes the place we know we all want it to be for our children.
Tory Net Zero Watch group MPs said the news was 'certainly encouraging'. He played in the debate going into the election. if the package is too big, then the package may be watered down but hopefully, they will stick to their guns.
The UK has cut emissions faster than any other G7 country, a government spokesman said. Mr Sunak will hope that a possible five-year delay in the ban on new petrol and diesel cars will limit the direct costs imposed on consumers. As will an extension on the phase out gas boilers. While the expected decision to drop plans for energy efficiency targets for private rented homes will also be welcomed by some tenants, some tenants will consider the decision to stay with them. The Tory Party has argued that net zero policies are too expensive, particularly at a time when inflation has risen. Energy efficiency measures are frequently seen as disproportionately impacting poorer households. Sunak, speaking on condition of anonymity, could try to create a dividing line with Labour ahead of the next general election. Sunak faces the possibility of a Conservative party that is more divided than united over the issue. Craig Mackinlay, a conservative MP for South Thanet, and Sir John Redwood, MP for Wokingham, have hailed the possibility of a green climbdown a massive win for hard-pressed families.
While former net zero tsar Chris Skidmore says it might be the 'greatest mistake of his Premiership', it could be the worst mistake of his Premiership. The UK cannot'rest on our laurels', said COP26 president Alok Sharma, adding that the Conservative Party's 2019 election manifesto pledged to reach net zero by 2050.
In a speech on Monday, former Prime Minister Liz Truss called on Sunak to delay the ban on diesel and petrol cars in India. The Tories' green policy would establish a clear dividing line with the Labour Party. The environmental regulations that increase the cost of living, such as enforcing the replacement of oil and gas boilers should also be abandoned, Ms Truss said. The government could significantly weaken the plan to phase out the installation of gas boilers by 2035, saying that they only want 80 percent to be phased out by that year.