Archived article
Please note that tax, investment, pension and ISA rules can change and the information and any views contained in this article may now be inaccurate.
Rishi Sunak insisted he was acting to avoid a public ‘backlash’ by watering down efforts to tackle the climate crisis in an announcement that is facing fierce criticism from green-minded Tories, environmentalists and industry figures.
In a speech from Downing Street, the prime minister said on Wednesday he would put back a ban on new fossil fuel cars by five years in a major U-turn among a raft of measures.
Sunak insisted the UK was already ahead of allies in reducing emissions and could not impose ‘unacceptable costs’ on British families.
‘The risk here to those of us who care about reaching net zero, as I do, is simple: if we continue down this path we risk losing the consent of the British people,’ he said.
‘And the resulting backlash would not just be against specific policies but against the wider mission itself meaning we might never achieve our goal.
‘That’s why we have to do things differently.’
He detailed the plans to the public after putting them to Cabinet ministers in a hastily-arranged call in response to a leak of his net-zero plans.
By Sam Blewett, David Hughes, Sophie Wingate and Patrick Daly, PA Political Staff
Press Association: News
source: PA
Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.