Boris Johnson announces new homes must have charging points for electric cars
It comes as the country phases out non-electric cars by 2030
Last updated 27th May 2022
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that new homes in England have to be built with home charging stations for electric cars.
Supermarkets and workplaces will also have charging points installed, alongside buildings undergoing extensive renovations in order to provide for electric cars.
The Prime Minister revealed the plans while giving a speech at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference in South Shields.
Speaking at the conference, the Prime Minister said that "fate has handed us an opportunity" for redemption in the green industrial revolution.
It comes as the country aims to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030 to keep on the UK's target to achieve 'net zero' carbon emissions.
Mr Johnson also noted the success of the HS2 network, despite announcing the eastern leg of the line, meant to connect Birmingham and Leeds, was scaled back.
But the Prime Minister did admit that "there are limits to what governments can do" to fully regulate the economy to be environmentally friendly.
In addition, Mr Johnson also encouraged CBI members to get their booster jabs against coronavirus to ensure the continued growth of the UK economy.
"It's by vaccinating our country that we've been able to get staff back to work, and to open our theatres and restaurants," he said.
The announcement comes two weeks after COP26. Here's what happened at the pivotal climate conference:
Kicking off Day 1 of the Conference, leader of Glasgow City Council Susan Aitken gave a speech welcoming delegates to the city. In the leadup to the Conference, concerns had been raised over the appearance of the city, with refuse workers threatening - and later carrying out - industrial action over pay.
Nature historian and broadcaster David Attenborough was amongst prominent speeches on Day 2 of the event, calling for greater action to reverse the "terrible decline" in the climate.
Other speakers included U.S. President Joe Biden, Prince Charles and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who noted that the world was "one minute to midnight" on the climate question.
The event was held at the Scottish Exhibition Campus in Glasgow, with several venues including the SSE Hydro Arena playing hosts to delegates and journalists from across the world to cover the daily negotiations.
Initially meant to attend the opening days of the COP 26 Conference, the Queen was forced to miss out on giving a speech and meeting world leaders due to health concerns.
However, the Queen did record a special message for the delegates of the conference, saying that "the time for words has now moved to the time for action".
Other prominent climate activists and leaders were taking part in negotiations. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon met young climate campaigners Greta Thunberg and Vanessa Nakate and called on leaders to "put their egos aside" to work on the common issue of solving the climate crisis.
One of the most important voices at the summit, U.S. President Joe Biden arrived to the Conference in style, with a motorcade of cars from his hotel in Edinburgh to Glasgow.
Once among other delegates, Biden reaffirmed America's commitment to tacking climate change, following the climate scepticism of his predecessor Donald Trump. The President also said that the "eye of history" was on Glasgow and that climate change was no longer a "hypothetical threat".
Despite negotiations, many climate activists were not happy with the progress of negotiations and demonstrations were held around Glasgow - led by Greta Thunberg - to demand clearer and faster action to resolve the climate issue. Protestors also rallied behind refuse workers going on strike as a result of pay disputes.
Day 3 of the Conference saw the first major development of an international pledge. Leaders from over 100 countries signed a deal to halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030. Downing Street said it would pledge £14 billion to the initiative.
While world leaders gathered, other important players in the world market also attended. Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos gave a speech to delegates of the duty to protect the planet and the environment. Bezos also announced that he would put $2 billion (equivalent to £1.5 billion) towards the global effort in land restoration.
With thousands of deals going on across the area, finding a quiet spot was hard. However, individual work stations in green post boxes allowed delegates and journalists to get their work finished in a nod to British telephone boxes, which are typically red.
Little Amal, a 3.5 metre tall puppet of a Syrian refugee girl, reached the summit after walking from the Syrian border with Turkey to its destination in Manchester. The puppet's visit coincided with Gender Day at COP26, where attendees debated how climate change disproportionately affects women.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama also came to Glasgow to take part in negotiations to reduce global gas emissions. Speaking to delegates, Obama encouraged younger generations to continue the fight against global warming. He went on to say that the world is "nowhere where (it needs) to be" to avoid a total climate disaster.
A lighter story from the COP26 Conference came from American congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. In a post on Instagram, the politician remarked that she had not tried the Scottish drink Irn Bru, but really wanted to. The following day, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gave Ms Cortez a can of Irn Bru. After having a sip, Ms Cortez said: "Irn Bru, count me in. I love it."
As the potential for an agreement looked likely, the Prime Minister rushed back to Glasgow to help push leaders to agree to the deal. The Prime Minister took the train to Glasgow, in response to criticism he received for flying back to London after the initial days of the Conference.
A first draft of an agreement has been made, with amendments and negotiations to go well into the nights to ensure that a consensus is formed to keep global temperatures rising beyond 1.5C a possibility.
Whilst leaders were negotiating the final details of a detail, protests were held across the city to make sure that the best deal was being done. The main issue of contention was the phasing out of coal, where a divide grew between those exporting coal and those trying to end its use.
With negotiations unending, the summit was extended for another two days in order to finalise the deal. In that time, a final push helped to get a deal over the line, with amendments to agreements on coal securing the future of the deal.
On the final day of the extended summit, the agreement was fully signed, meeting the conference's goal of keeping global warming below 1.5C. However, despite fighting back tears, President Alok Sharma warned the deal would only survive "if everyone keeps their promises".