“Environmentally and economically illiterate”: Sunak’s net zero re-think sparks backlash in Suffolk
The PM says he still believes he can reach the target of net zero by 2050
Last updated 25th Sep 2023
Rishi Sunak’s net zero targets re-think has sparked criticism from several local councillors in Suffolk.
The Prime Minister announced a slew of policy changes on key net zero targets during a press conference last Wednesday.
Cllr Andrew Stringer, the Leader of the opposition group at the county level, and cabinet member at Babergh council, believes the move shows the Government “is not only environmentally illiterate but also economically illiterate”.
He added: “What the government has actually done is cost the public more money as we go forward and our environment dirtier.
“The longer you stave off addressing the impacts and mitigations of climate change, the more it is going to cost us in the future to sort it out.
“This is really bad news for Suffolk, the country, and the wider planet.”
Among the revelations was the deferral of a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035.
“Dented the confidence of businesses”
Cllr Caroline Topping, East Suffolk Council leader, believes this has “dented the confidence of businesses”.
Several car manufacturers, such as Ford and Vauxhall, have come out to criticise the PM after having invested millions of pounds into a move to electric.
Cllr Topping continued: “The climate clock is ticking down and we cannot arbitrarily move the hands for the sake of convenience.
“The Prime Minister should recognise the critical importance of stepping up the fight against climate change and not reneging on commitments at the first opportunity.”
Another controversial decision was Mr Sunak’s relaxation of the 2035 phase-out target for the installation of new gas boilers.
He said: “We’ll never force anyone to rip out their existing boiler and replace it with a heat pump.
“This doesn’t mean I’m any less committed to decarbonising our homes — quite the opposite. Rather than banning boilers before people can afford the alternative; we’re going to support them to make the switch.”
Mr Sunak’s speech was accompanied by the announcement of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, giving cash grants to replace people’s boilers with a heat pump, which would be increased to £7,500.
Some local councillors, however, believe this to be a big step against decarbonisation commitments.
Cllr John Ward, interim leader at Babergh council, said: “Scrapping policies to force landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of their properties will slow decarbonisation of rural private rented properties.
“Local authorities will need other policies to incentivise landlords.”
"They may well end up costing people more in energy bills"
Cllr Topping added: “Not only will these decisions prolong dependence on fossil fuels and extend reliance on imported gas, they may well end up costing people more in energy bills.”
There were also concerns after Mr Sunak announced he had scrapped certain proposals such as taxing meat, requiring people to share cars, and the use of seven bins for recycling, all before they were ever implemented.
Cllr Stringer said: “To say we would no longer put a tax on meat, it’s just trying to fearmonger people because we were never going to put a tax on meat.”
Nevertheless, councillors across the county have assured they will continue to work toward the net-zero targets they had set originally.
Cllr Debora Saw, deputy political leader at Babergh council, said: “Babergh’s commitment to reaching net zero by 2030 will not be compromised.
“We recognise the threat climate change poses to the future of our communities and the impact it is having today. We live in a beautiful area, and we must protect and enhance our landscape and our wildlife habitats.”
Cllr Topping added: “We wish to assure our communities that we are unwavering in pushing ahead to hit our targets.”
What does the government say?
Mr Sunak has maintained the UK's commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, despite the changes to the way measures would be introduced.
Cabinet minister Grant Shapps told the BBC: "We have already exceeded all of our carbon budgets. We have the leading position in the G7 in terms of the amount of carbon that we've reduced."
He also insisted that 2035 was "always the end date for the sale of petrol and diesel cars" because hybrid-powered vehicles were allowed to be on sale to that date.
The original plan had meant new cars powered only by petrol or diesel would have been banned by 2030, but that has now slipped to 2035.
The Defence Secretary insisted the UK was still on course to meet its commitments despite the changes on cars and boilers: "We think that we can both meet our 2050 commitments and give families a bit of a break and enable them to change their boilers as the time comes, rather than force a sort of pace which is unrealistic."