‘We’re not going to save the planet by bankrupting Britons,’ says Braverman – as car makers hit out at government
The home secretary has said that “we’re not going to save the planet by bankrupting the British people” in response to reports the government is looking at watering down some of its key green pledges
Among the changes being considering are the pushing back of a ban on the sales of new vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE) from 2030 to 2035 – and a weakening of plans to phase out gas boilers by 2035.
After calling an emergency meeting of his cabinet this morning, Rishi Sunak is set to outline his next steps in a news conference at 4.30pm today.
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Suella Braverman told Sky News that, while the government remains committed to the goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, “we need to put economic growth first”.
“We need to put household costs and budgets first. We need to put the cost of living first,” she added.
“And we’re only going to achieve that net zero target whereby people and the British people can go about their daily lives using their cars, using the facilities that are available.”
The chair of Ford UK says a delay to the 2030 deadline for selling ICE vehicles would undermine the “ambition, commitment and consistency” they need from the UK government.
The 2030 ban on ICE vehicles is considered a key plank of the government’s goal of achieving net zero because experts say it will encourage people to switch to zero-emission electric vehicles sooner.
Climate scientists say that urgent cuts are needed to the world’s greenhouse gas emissions if we are to stop temperatures rising to a potentially catastrophic extent.
The reported change in stance has led at least one Tory MP to “seriously” consider putting in a letter of no confidence in Mr Sunak’s leadership.
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In a statement, Mr Sunak said: “No leak will stop me beginning the process of telling the country how and why we need to change.
“As a first step, I’ll be giving a speech this week to set out an important long-term decision we need to make so our country becomes the place I know we all want it to be for our children.”
Conservative MPs are particularly angry at the potential delay to the ending of the sale of internal combustion engines to 2035.
One branded the move “anti-business” given how much has been invested into electric vehicles (EV) and the associated infrastructure.
Could watering down net zero pledges trigger Tory civil war?
An unusual late-night statement from the prime minister triggered by leaks to the media regarding the government’s plans to water down its net zero pledges: Rishi Sunak is continuing to draw the battlelines for the next general election.
Green policy is a contentious topic for both main parties – Keir Starmer, like Sunak, has been heavily criticised for abandoning his green pledges.
But as politicians struggle to balance the cost of going green with boosting the UK’s recovering economy, how much political pain could this really inflict on the prime minister?
Despite a vocal group of critics, behind the scenes many Tory MPs are keen on the climbdown.
One Tory backbencher told Sky News that being “pragmatic and outcome-focused beats virtue signalling every time”.
And Marco Longhi, a Tory MP with a red wall constituency, told me the PM’s decision was extremely welcome.
He said: “While fully behind efforts to deliver a greener planet I am not going to support policies that are only affordable by the richest.”
And at a time when the Conservative party is 19 points behind in the polls – with Labour on 44 points and the Tories lagging on 26 points – Rishi Sunak is keen to make some bold policy decisions in an attempt to close that gap.
However, it remains to be seen whether this is the smartest policy area in which to do that.
According to a YouGov poll from August, 33% of those surveyed said they believe the government should be spending more on the environment and climate change, and 49% believe Sunak’s government isn’t doing enough to reduce carbon emissions.
So, with tentative public support for a green economy, Sunak’s predicted climbdown is an electoral gamble he will be hoping pays off at the ballot box.
They told Sky’s deputy political editor Sam Coates that a push back on the petrol and diesel ban would mean breaking a promise the prime minister made to Conservative MPs privately.
One minister said they would be “staggered” if the ban was delayed, telling Sky News: “Every automotive company is investing in EV, we’ve just given Tata all this money to make batteries, it’s bonkers.”
He was referring to plans by the owner of Jaguar Land Rover to build an electric car battery factory in the UK.
Tory MPs Chris Skidmore, Alok Sharma and Sir Simon Clarke all complained publicly about the potential watering down of the pledges.
One senior Tory MP told Sky News this morning that the change in policy “has absolutely nothing to do with protecting the British public”, but rather the “sign of a government that’s desperately trying to cling onto power through dangerous and disingenuous rhetoric”.
They added: “It is an outright lie that tackling the climate crisis has to be at the cost of ordinary people, while letting off the hook the rich and powerful fossil fuel companies that are overwhelmingly responsible for the climate crisis the world is already experiencing.”
Lisa Brankin, the chair of Ford UK, highlighted that her company had invested £430m in UK development and manufacturing facilities, with more cash to come to fit the 2030 timeframe.
Explained: What are Rishi Sunak’s policies on net zero?
Ms Brankin said: “This is the biggest industry transformation in over a century and the UK 2030 target is a vital catalyst to accelerate Ford into a cleaner future.
“Our business needs three things from the UK government: ambition, commitment and consistency. A relaxation of 2030 would undermine all three.
“We need the policy focus trained on bolstering the EV market in the short term and supporting consumers while headwinds are strong: infrastructure remains immature, tariffs loom and cost-of-living is high.”
A spokesperson for Jaguar Land Rover said: “We are committed to and on track to offer pure electric variants across our brands by 2030 and welcome certainty around legislation for the end of sale of petrol and diesel powered cars.
“We are investing £15bn over the next five years to electrify our luxury brands, which is key to JLR reaching net zero carbon emissions across our supply chain, products, and operations by 2039.”
Stellantis, the owner of Vauxhall, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and DS said: “Clarity is required from governments on important legislation, especially environmental issues that impact society as a whole.”
BMW MINI, which announced plans to construct its electric Mini in Oxford, said it “neither sought or was made any promises” about the timings of an ICE ban when the decision was made.
Asked about the EV industry, Ms Braverman said: “I’m not going to prejudge what the prime minister is going to set out in detail.
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“But I would say I do commend him for taking difficult decisions, long-term decisions in the national interest and in the interest of the British people.”
Asked about the concerns raised by her Conservative MPs, Ms Braverman said “everyone should just wait until they hear the detail from the prime minister himself”.
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Darren Jones, Labour’s shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said we will need to wait for the reaction of the car companies to the anticipated policy change.
He told Sky News that “part of the problem” is Mr Sunak’s “weak leadership”, and the way in which the changes first surfaced through a leak and with a “late night press release from the prime minister’s bunker”.
Three prison officers have been attacked by the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber.
The Prison Officers Association (POA) said 28-year-old Hashem Abedi – the brother of Salman Abedi – threw hot cooking oil over the guards before stabbing them with homemade weapons.
He was sentenced in 2020 to at least 55 years in prison after being found guilty of 22 counts of murder over the 2017 atrocity.
The three officers were taken to hospital after the attack at category A Frankland prison, in County Durham, shortly before 11am on Saturday.
Salman Abedi killed 22 innocent people
A female officer is understood to have now been discharged.
The POA said they suffered “life-threatening injuries” including burns, scalds and stab wounds.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said on X: “I am appalled by the attack of three brave officers at HMP Frankland today. My thoughts are with them and their families.
“The police are now investigating. I will be pushing for the strongest possible punishment. Violence against our staff will never be tolerated.”
The POA said the attack happened in a separation centre, a small unit sometimes referred to as a “prison within a prison”, usually used to house dangerous prisoners and those deemed a risk of radicalising other inmates.
The union’s national chair Mark Fairhurst called for a review of the freedoms granted to those prisoners.
“I am of the opinion that allowing access to cooking facilities and items that can threaten the lives of staff should be removed immediately,” he said.
“These prisoners need only receive their basic entitlements and we should concentrate on control and containment instead of attempting to appease them. Things have to change.”
Abedi attacked Belmarsh officer in 2020
General Secretary Steve Gillan added: “This is a disgraceful and cowardly attack on prison officers at Frankland prison who were carrying out their duties.”
Durham police said: “An investigation is underway following a serious assault which occurred at Frankland prison, Durham today.
“Three victims were taken to hospital to be treated where two remain with serious injuries and a third has been discharged.”
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Hashem Abedi was previously found guilty, along with two other convicted terrorists, of attacking a prison officer at south-east London’s Belmarsh prison in 2020.
The officer was hit with a chair, repeatedly punched and kicked when he was set upon by Hashem Abedi, Parsons Green Tube bomber Ahmed Hassan and Muhammed Saeed, who spoke about carrying out a knife attack in London.
Hashem Abedi was found guilty by a jury of 22 counts of murder, attempted murder and plotting to cause an explosion likely to endanger life over the Manchester Arena bombing.
The court heard he helped source, buy, stockpile and transport the components for his brother’s bomb using a number of phones, vehicles and addresses in preparation for the attack.
Twenty-two people were killed when suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated an explosive as people were leaving an Ariana Grande concert at the venue.
He died in the attack, while hundreds of others were injured.
Newcastle United’s head coach Eddie Howe has been admitted to hospital after feeling “unwell for a number of days”, his club have said.
In a statement, they confirmed the 47-year-old will miss the team’s next match against Manchester United on Sunday “due to illness” after feeling unwell “for a number of days”.
“The Magpies’ head coach was admitted to hospital late on Friday evening having felt unwell for a number of days,” the statement said.
“Medical staff kept Eddie in hospital overnight for further tests, which are ongoing.
“He is conscious and talking with his family, and is continuing to receive expert medical care.
“Everyone at Newcastle United extends their best wishes to Eddie for a speedy recovery, and further updates will follow in due course.”
The club said assistant Jason Tindall and coach Graeme Jones will lead the side at St James’ Park on Sunday.
Howe ended Newcastle’s 70-year domestic silverware drought last month. Pic: PA
Speaking when he stepped in to perform pre-match media duties on Friday, Tindall said: “He’s been really poorly in the last couple of days but we’ve been in daily contact.
“We’ve been speaking three or four times a day so it’s not affected any of the preparations. We’ve still got a couple of days and I’m sure he’ll be fine for the weekend.”
The assistant manager added “its not very often that’s he unable to come to work”, and that “it’s a bit different” not having Howe around the training ground.
Tindall also joked: “He’s probably got a live feed there now, his attention to detail – he’s top, and that’s why he’s one of the best managers that’s out there.”
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Howe, who has been tipped as a future England manager, ended Newcastle’s silverware drought last month, leading them to a first domestic trophy in 70 years after beating Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.
Currently sitting fifth in the Premier League table, the Magpies still have Champions League football next season firmly in their sights.
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From March: ‘We are an emotional club’
They have won each of their last four games in all competitions, with league victories over West Ham, Brentford and Leicester either side of their Carabao Cup final success.
Newcastle beat Manchester United 2-0 at Old Trafford in December and will run out eight places and 15 points better off than Ruben Amorim’s men this weekend.
But they have not completed a league double over the Red Devils since the 1930-31 campaign.
UK
A remarkable step by the government – and Donald Trump, China and Reform UK have all played their part
When the sun sets on Scunthorpe this Saturday, the town’s steelworks will likely have a new boss – Jonathan Reynolds.
The law that parliament will almost certainly approve this weekend hands the business secretary the powers to direct staff at British Steel, order raw materials and, crucially, keep the blast furnaces at the plant open.
This is not full nationalisation.
But it is an extraordinary step.
The Chinese firm Jingye will – on paper – remain the owner of British Steel.
But the UK state will insert itself into the corporate set-up to legally override the wishes of the multinational company.
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Govt to take control of steel plant
A form of martial law invoked and applied to private enterprise.
That will come at a cost to the taxpayer.
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No number has been specified, but there are wages to pay and orders to make at a site estimated to already be losing £700,000 a day.
There is also clear frustration in government at how the Chinese owners have engaged in negotiations around modernising the Scunthorpe site.
“Jingye have not been forthright throughout this process”, said the business secretary in his department’s official announcement about the new laws.
Time is so tight because of the nature of the steel-making process.
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Inside the UK’s last blast furnaces
Once switched off, blast furnaces are very hard to turn back on.
If this had happened in Scunthorpe – as seemed likely in a matter of days – then it would have been game over.
This move keeps the show on the road and opens up more time for talks over the long-term future of the plant.
While the official line in Whitehall is that “all options are on the table”, nationalisation seems increasingly likely.
That would need more legislation, if it was done – as seems likely – without the approval of the current owner.
Finding an alternative commercial partner has not been ruled out, but one is not waiting in the wings either.
As for what that long-term future looks like, with just five years of life left in the Scunthorpe blast furnaces, modernisation is inevitable.
Port Talbot’s plant saw its blast furnaces closed last year amid a switch to the more environmentally friendly electric arc furnaces and a loss of thousands of jobs.
A general view shows British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant.
Pic Reuters
Political figures in Wales are now questioning why nationalisation wasn’t on the table for this site.
The response from government is that the deal was done by the previous Tory administration and the owners of the South Wales site agreed to the terms.
But there is also a sense that this decision over British Steel is being shaped by the domestic and international political context.
Labour came to power promising to revitalise left-behind communities and inject a sense of pride back into places still reeling from the loss of traditional industry.
With that in mind, it would be politically intolerable to see the UK’s last two blast furnaces closed and thousands of jobs lost in a relatively deprived part of the country.
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One of the two blast furnaces at British Steel’s Scunthorpe operation
Reform UK’s position of pushing for full and immediate nationalisation is also relevant, given the party is in electoral pursuit of Labour in many parts of the country where decline in manufacturing has been felt most acutely.
The geo-political situation is perhaps more pressing though.
Just look at the strength of the prime minister’s language in his Downing Street address – “our economic and national security are all on the line”.
The government’s reaction to the turmoil caused by President Donald Trump’s pronouncements on tariffs and security has been to emphasise the need to increase domestic resilience in both business and defence.
Becoming the only G7 nation unable to produce virgin steel at a time when globalisation appears to be in retreat hardly fits with that narrative.
It would also present serious practical questions about the ability of the UK to produce steel for defence and the broader switch to green energy production.
Then there is the intriguing subplot around US-China trade.
While this decision is separate from discussions with the White House on tariffs, one can imagine how a UK move to wrestle control of a site of national importance from its Chinese owner might go down with a US president currently engaged in a fierce trade war with Beijing.
This is a remarkable step from the government, but it is more a punctuation mark than a full answer.
The tension between manufacturing and decarbonisation remains, as do the challenges presented by a global economy appearing to fragment significantly.
But one thing is for sure.
As a political parable about changes to traditional industry and the challenges of globalisation, the saga of British Steel is hard to beat.
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