UK pledges punchy new climate goal – but these parts of the puzzle are missing

Published

8 months ago

November 12, 2024

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The UK has unveiled a punchy new climate goal to slash its emissions by 81% by 2035.

The government said it is on a mission to “tackle the climate crisis in a way that makes the British people better off”, by investing in clean, home-grown power and cutting ties with volatile fossil fuel markets.

Announcing the pledge at the COP29 climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, the prime minister Keir Starmer said: “The race is on for the clean energy jobs of the future, the economy of tomorrow.

The target forms part of the UK’s new climate plan, and Sir Keir urged other countries at the summit to “come forward with ambitious targets of their own.”

So far the UK has cut emissions by 50% compared with levels in 1990.

The pledge has gone down well at the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, where rich, polluting countries like the UK are expected to lead by example among the 200 countries gathered for the talks.

Kenya’s foreign secretary called the target “quite ambitious”.

The world needs “concrete examples of one of the key economies making positive strides towards dealing with climate change”, Musalia Mudavadi told Sky News.

But he warned countries would be watching to ensure “that nobody is back-pedalling”.

The UK’s pledge matches what its climate advisers say is needed to tackle climate change at home and meet a promise it made under the landmark Paris Agreement, struck at COP21 in 2015.

But the advisers, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), warned the government is missing plans it needs to get to that target.

“The good news is [the 81% target] is achievable,” said the CCC’s new chief Emma Pinchbeck.

“The less good news for government is they are behind on their [existing] targets.”

That’s not because “we don’t have the technologies available, or that the economics don’t work”, she said.

“The issue is that we haven’t had a delivery plan from the government that can get us there.”

Starmer’s promise a small ray of sunshine

Tom Clarke

Science and technology editor

@t0mclark3

Sir Keir Starmer’s arrival at COP29 with a promise to drastically cut the UK’s carbon emissions will be a small ray of sunshine in an otherwise gloomy start to the climate talks.

The election of Donald Trump, who has vowed to drag the world’s largest economy out of the negotiations, was a colossal setback for a round of talks dedicated to raising ambition – and cash for the transition away from fossil fuels.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Sir Keir was one of the few heads of the G20 to actually show up at the talks. President Biden is absent, so too are the leaders of China, Brazil, Germany and France.

The UK’s commitment to cutting emissions will be seen as a statement that it is possible to be a leading economy and leave fossil fuels behind. This reinforces the message these talks are urgently trying to send: that net zero is an opportunity for growth, not economic suicide.

But it’s a political risk. Getting to the 81% cut in emissions within 10 years will take a colossal and, in the short term, costly effort.

Labour’s plans for zero carbon electricity, already ambitious, won’t get us there alone. Making homes more energy efficient and heating them without gas will be essential. So too will fiddly things like protecting peat bogs, uplands and reforming agriculture.

Within the corridors of this summit, Sir Keir’s gamble will be celebrated. Back home, the response might be less enthusiastic.

The UK has been “arguably the leading country in the world at getting emissions out of the power plant that provides the electricity coming through your plug”.

But the “problem right now is definitely in how we heat our homes and transport, how we get around”, and flying and shipping also need plans to get clean, she said.

Oil and gas are a ‘gift’ from god

The announcement puts more pressure on other major emitters, as well as host nation Azerbaijan, to publish their own climate plans, known in UN jargon as NDCs (nationally determined contributions).

In an interview with Sky News on Sunday, Azerbaijan’s lead negotiator refused to commit to upgrading its current plan while leading the talks.

Azerbaijan’s autocratic president Ilham Aliyev used his opening speech to defend the country’s fossil fuel industry, calling oil and gas a “gift of the God”, just like the sun and wind.

He lashed out at Western critics of his country’s oil and gas industry, saying it had been the victim of a “well-orchestrated campaign of slander and blackmail” and “fake news”.

President Aliyev called it “not fair” to call Azerbaijan a “petrostate”, because it accounts for less than 1% of the world’s oil and gas.

His government relies on fossil fuels for 60% of its budget.

Politics

Starmer’s team ask Labour MPs to remove names from rebel amendment that could bring down welfare bill

Published

2 hours ago

June 25, 2025

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Starmer's team ask Labour MPs to remove names from rebel amendment that could bring down welfare bill

Cabinet ministers have been asking Labour MPs to take their name off a rebel amendment to the government’s controversial welfare bill, Sky News can reveal.

In an attempt to quell the mounting rebellion of more than 100 MPs across all wings of the party, cabinet ministers were instructed to ring around the signatories of the amendment in a bid to get them to back the welfare cuts ahead of a planned vote next Tuesday.

Politics latest: PM ‘very confident’ he’ll remain Labour leader

Two Labour MPs said they had been asked if they would take their names off the amendment, while one was asked if they would be prepared to abstain on the bill next week.

One Labour MP said: “‘The more they tell people to take their names off, the more names are added on.”

Others were also told their actions could provoke a fresh leadership challenge and that they were aligning themselves with Nigel Farage in a bid to get them to back down.

“I had a conversation with a senior cabinet member yesterday who basically said if the government is defeated next week it will trigger a leadership contest,” a Labour MP said.

“I can see how that might be the case but I would argue if that’s where we end up it’s because the government have allowed that to happen. The ball is very much in their court.

“By and large the rebels do not want this to be about leadership. We just want to government to listen.”

Another added that while they had not received a call from a cabinet minister, they knew “some colleagues are being told there will be a leadership challenge or a general election which is utter nonsense”, adding: “Everything is all over the place.”

The amendment, if passed, would effectively kill the government’s welfare reforms by failing to give it a second reading in the Commons.

What are the main changes in the welfare bill?

The most controversial elements of the government’s welfare bill are changes to PIP and Universal Credit.

PIP is money for people who have extra care needs or mobility needs as a result of a disability.

People who claim it – some of whom are in work – are awarded points depending on their ability to do certain activities, such as washing and preparing food, and this influences how much they will receive.

Under the plans, from November 2026, people will need to score a minimum of four points in at least one activity to qualify for the daily living element of PIP – instead of fewer points across a broader range of tasks the person needs help with.

The changes do not affect the mobility component of PIP.

And from April next year, the health element of Universal Credit will be frozen in cash terms for existing claimants at £97 per week until 2029/2030.

For new claimants, the health element of Universal Credit will be reduced to £50 per week.

However, ministers point to the fact that the Universal Credit standard allowance will increase from £92 per week in 2025-26 to £106 per week by 2029-30.

Overall, 3.2 million families are expected to lose an average of £1,720 by the end of 2030 due to the changes.

However, the government has stressed that these figures do not take into account the £1bn that is being put towards helping the long-term sick and disabled back into work.

It calls for a delay to the £5bn package to assess the impact of cuts to personal independence payments (PIP) and expresses concerns about the government’s own figures showing 250,000 people could be pushed into poverty – including 50,000 children.

The fact the amendment was tabled by Dame Meg Hillier, chair of the Treasury select committee, with the support of 12 other select committee chairs, has alarmed Downing Street – as has the sheer scale of the rebellion.

At least 123 Labour MPs have signed the public amendment, but Sky News understands more names are likely to appear in the coming days.

While Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy, Angela Rayner, have insisted the vote will go ahead next Tuesday, the decision to instruct cabinet ministers to call around colleagues suggests the government is concerned about potentially losing the vote.

‘The government is not listening’

A Labour MP who signed the amendment said most rebels wanted the government to pause the proposals pending a proper consultation.

They said the fact that the text of the bill had been published before the consultation had closed was proof the government was “not listening”.

Another MP said they had raised concerns that if constituents are moved from PIP to universal credit they could potentially exceed the benefits cap, which could disproportionally hit those living in cities where the cost of living is higher.

“I can’t look at my constituents and say I’m confident this won’t negatively affect them,” they said.

The MP also criticised the government’s approach to keeping MPs on side, saying it had failed to make the case for reform consistently.

“The engagement stopped after the initial flurry of bad press. Now there is a small amount of activity before the vote. Ministers need to be out there; the PM needs to be out there.”

Despite the growing rebellion, the prime minister has indicated he is not willing to offer concessions on the government’s welfare plans.

Asked by reporters at the NATO summit in the Netherlands if he was willing to make changes to the bill, Sir Keir said: “We have got to make the reforms to our system. It isn’t working as it is.

“It doesn’t work as it stands for people who desperately need help to get into work or for people who need protection. It is broken.

“We were elected in to change that which is broken, and that’s what we will do, and that’s why we will press ahead with reforms.”

Downing Street has been contacted for comment.