Sunak accused of making ‘false argument’ on net zero as plans spark industry backlash
Rishi Sunak has come under fire from environmentalists, business leaders, international allies and his own MPs after watering down several key climate pledges.
Former US vice president Al Gore and the car giant Ford were among the biggest critics of the prime minister’s new “pragmatic” approach to cutting emissions in a day of high political drama.
Mr Sunak insisted he was standing by the legally binding goal of hitting net zero by 2050 despite making changes including:
- Delaying the ban on new cars and vans running solely on petrol and diesel from 2030 to 2035
- Weakening the plan to phase out gas boilers from 2035 so households that will struggle the most to switch to heat pumps will not have to make the change
- Putting back the ban on boilers relying on heating oil in off-grid homes from 2026 to 2035
- Scrapping the requirement of energy efficiency upgrades to homes, which a landlords’ organisation welcomed as meaning they will no longer need to spend “substantial sums of money”.
Politics Live: Reaction as PM reveals major net zero changes
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Motorists on petrol vehicle ban delay
Mr Sunak insisted he was taking a “more pragmatic, proportionate and realistic approach that eases the burdens on families” and claimed other politicians were not being honest about the cost of green policies on individuals.
However, he was accused of peddling a “false argument” with critics saying clean energy will make bills cheaper and boost jobs and investment.
Chris Norbury, the chief executive of the E.ON energy firm, said “there is no ‘green vs cheap’ debate” and Mr Sunak’s U-turns will “delay the vital work of transforming our economy”.
He said companies wanting to invest in the UK need “long-term certainty” while communities now risk being condemned to “many more years of living in cold and draughty homes that are expensive to heat”.
Car company Ford led the business backlash over the delay to the diesel and petrol ban.
Its chief executive Lisa Brankin said: “Our business needs three things from the UK government: ambition, commitment and consistency. A relaxation of 2030 would undermine all three.”
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Ian Plummer, commercial director at Auto Trader, added that both industry and drivers have been left “high and dry” by “sacrificing the 2030 target on the altar of political advantage”.
He said research shows only half of people could see how an electric vehicle (EV) could fit into their lifestyle and “we should be positively addressing concerns over affordability and charging rather than planting seeds of doubt”.
PM ‘sided with landlords’
Landlords welcomed not having to spend more on energy efficiency improvements to homes – a move Mr Sunak said would protect renters who may have faced the costs passed on to them.
But the National Housing Federation, which represents housing associations in England, warned scrapping targets “could lead to people facing higher bills for years to come”.
According to their research, retrofitting homes would save social housing residents on average 40% on heating bills.
A similar warning came from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) which estimated cancelling energy efficiency regulations for the private rental sector could cost households almost £8bn in higher bills over the next decade.
Read more:
PM’s U-turns weren’t really about net zero
Sunak’s announcement may jar with image as stable leader
Rishi Sunak has set out a new approach to net zero
ECIU energy analyst Jess Ralston said: “The PM has sided with landlords over renters, putting their energy bills and cost of living up by ducking the improvement of rules on energy efficiency.
“That doesn’t make any sense when excess cold in homes costs the NHS £1.2bn per year and renters are amongst those with the lowest incomes.”
The changes have also sparked a political row with senior Tories lining up to criticise the prime minister.
Tory row erupts
Sir Alok Sharma, who was the president of the COP26 climate summit, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think it’d be incredibly damaging for business confidence, for inward investment, if the political consensus that we have forged in our country on the environment and climate action is fractured.
“And, frankly, I really do not believe that it’s going to help any political party electorally which chooses to go down this path.”
Boris Johnson and Conservative peer and environmentalist Zac Goldsmith also urged Mr Sunak to think again, with the latter even demanding a general election over the “economically and ecologically illiterate decision”.
However, the plans were supported by the likes of Liz Truss and Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Although Mr Sunak insisted the changes were “not about” politics, the shift on green policies is being interpreted as a bid to create dividing lines with Labour ahead of a likely general election next year.
Some Conservatives believe rowing back on green policies could be a vote winner given their narrow success in the summer’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election, which was won largely through a campaign against the expansion of the ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) charge in London.
Labour ‘relishing’ chance to go ‘toe to toe’ on net zero
Labour said it was “relishing” the challenge of going “toe to toe” with the Tories over net zero at the next election as it promised to reverse the most incendiary of all the prime minister’s promises – to move back the date to ban new petrol cars.
Ed Miliband, the shadow net zero secretary, also said the party did not support watering down obligations on landlords to improve the energy efficiency of rental homes, though he refused to lay out a position on phasing out gas boilers – saying that will be set out in due course.
Mr Miliband, asked at a Politico Q&A event whether the next election could become a de facto referendum on net zero, said: “I relish the prospect of going toe to toe with this government on saying who can make this transition work economically for the British people.
“Because the idea that Rishi Sunak – who is seen as out of touch, has delivered the biggest cost of living crisis in a generation – is the answer to the question of who is going to implement the green transition in a fair way, I mean, come off it frankly.”
UK
More than 500 people arrested after Palestine Action protest – with almost half aged 60 and above
The number of people arrested after a protest in London on Saturday supporting banned group Palestine Action has risen to 532, police have said.
Around half of them (259) were aged 60 and above – including almost 100 people who were in their 70s.
Some 522 arrests were for displaying a placard in support of a proscribed organisation contrary to Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000, according to the Metropolitan Police.
As of 9pm on Saturday, the number was put at 466.
Membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison under the Terrorism Act.
A rally supporting Palestine Action in Parliament Square. Pic: Reuters
One of the arrests took place as the Palestine Coalition march formed in Russell Square, while 521 were at the protest in Parliament Square.
Of those arrested, the biggest number (147) was in the 60-69 age group, while 97 people were aged between 70 and 79, and 15 others were between 80-89.
Six were aged 17-19, sixty-five were in the 20-29 age group, 55 were aged 30-39, 45 were aged 40-49 and 89 were in the 50-59 age group.
The average age of those arrested was 54, while some 263 of those arrested were male, 261 were female and eight either defined themselves as non-binary or did not disclose their gender.
Among the arrests, six were for assaults on officers (none were seriously injured), one was for “obstructing a constable in the execution of his/her duty”, two were for breaching Section 14 Public Order Act conditions, and one was for a racially aggravated public order offence.
People attend the protest in central London. Pic: PA
Hundreds of people attended Saturday’s demonstration in Parliament Square, organised by Defend Our Juries, with the Metropolitan Police warning it would arrest anyone expressing support for Palestine Action.
Anyone who was arrested as part of the operation was taken to one of two prisoner processing points in the Westminster area.
Those whose details could be confirmed were released on bail to appear at a police station at a future date. They were given conditions not to attend future demonstrations related to Palestine Action.
Those who refused to provide their details at the prisoner processing points and those who were found to have been arrested while already on bail, were taken to one of a number of Met Police custody suites.
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Charity Amnesty International described the mass arrests under UK terrorism law as “deeply concerning”.
The crowd, sat on the grass inside Parliament Square, could be seen writing “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action” on white placards at 1pm, with the vast majority remaining silent.
Meanwhile on Sunday, hundreds of people joined a march on Downing Street to urge the release of those being held in Gaza by Palestinian militant group Hamas.
A scuffle broke out after at least two men shouted “Free Palestine” in front of the march.
One man was seen being bundled to the ground close to Trafalgar Square after being surrounded by around a dozen people.
Another man was seen being moved away by police officers after he began shouting.
Amnesty International says it is “deeply concerning” that police made 474 arrests during a Palestine Action demonstration in London.
Metropolitan Police said 466 were detained under the Terrorism Act for showing support for a banned group.
Eight more people were arrested for other offences, including five for assaulting officers.
The Met said it was the most arrests it’s made related to a single operation in at least the past decade.
Pic: PA
Organiser of the event, Defend Our Juries, earlier said up to 700 people were at the event in Parliament Square and claimed police were preparing for the “largest mass arrest in their history”.
The group said those arrested included former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg, NHS workers, quakers and a blind wheelchair user.
Amnesty International UK’s chief executive Sacha Deshmukh said in a statement: “The protesters in Parliament Square were not inciting violence and it is entirely disproportionate to the point of absurdity to be treating them as terrorists.
“Instead of criminalising peaceful demonstrators, the government should be focusing on taking immediate and unequivocal action to put a stop to Israel’s genocide and ending any risk of UK complicity in it.”
The Met said a “significant number of people” at the event were seen “displaying placards expressing support for Palestine Action”.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The right to protest is one we protect fiercely but this is very different from displaying support for this one specific and narrow, proscribed organisation.
“Palestine Action was proscribed based on strong security advice following serious attacks the group has committed, involving violence, significant injuries and extensive criminal damage.”
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Palestine Action supporters arrested at protest
Police said those arrested had been taken to processing points in Westminster and any whose details could be confirmed were bailed on condition they didn’t attend further Palestine Action support events.
Others whose details could not be verified, possibly because they refused to give them, were taken to custody suites across London.
Pic: PA
The protests have put a strain on authorities’ capacity to cope.
Sky News understands senior leaders in the prison service, known as “Capacity Gold”, met today to discuss how to deal with the large number of arrests as the male prison estate is close to full.
It’s understood 800 inmates were moved out of the busiest jails in and around London beforehand.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police Federation said: “Thinking of our colleagues and wishing all assaulted officers well. Remember there are no ‘extra’ police officers – just the same ones having their days off cancelled, having to work longer shifts and being moved from other areas. Officers are emotionally and physically exhausted.”
Read more: What does proscribing a group mean?
Legislation to ban Palestine Action came into force on 5 July, making it a criminal offence to show support for the organisation, carrying a prison sentence of up to 14 years.
Defend Our Juries said earlier this week the protest would still go ahead, following several similar demonstrations since it was outlawed last month.
On Saturday, a spokesperson said: “Palestine Action and people holding cardboard signs present no danger to the public at large.”
Pic: PA
Human rights advocates Amnesty International described the arrests of so many people under UK terrorism law as “deeply concerning”.
Another march organised by the Palestine Coalition, which is a separate group, set off from Russell Square and assembled on Whitehall.
The Met Police said one person had been arrested there for showing a placard in support of Palestine Action.
Pic: Reuters
Earlier this week, three people charged as a result of illegal Palestine Action activity were named.
Jeremy Shippam, 71, of West Sussex, Judit Murray, also 71, of Surrey, and Fiona Maclean, 53, of Hackney in east London, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 16 September.
The ban on Palestine Action faces a legal challenge in November after the High Court granted a full judicial review to Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori.
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