Tory leadership hopefuls pledged to scrap a raft of green policies that are crucial if the UK is to meet its net-zero targets by 2050, in a bid to appeal to members.
The issue has once again become a key dividing line within the leadership race, with right-wing candidates vowing to cut green energy levies, while others are pledging to pause the legal commitment to go carbon neutral altogether. [bold, links added]
Nadhim Zahawi became the latest contender to try to woo the net-zero skeptics in the party by promising to scrap green taxes on energy bills for two years in a bid to lower energy costs for consumers.
He told a room of Tory MPs and activists on Monday that while he remained committed to the 2050 target, the next leader needed to respond to the cost of living “emergency” first.
“It is simply not right that families are currently having to see their bills skyrocket and they’re struggling with it and we do nothing,” he said.
“We will continue to meet our net-zero target for 2050 but this is a moment of emergency and we have to act like it.”
It emerged that Home Secretary Priti Patel is poised to announce her own leadership bid on Tuesday with the explicit pledge to scrap all green levies on energy bills, but also go further and lift the moratorium on fracking.
She told a secretive husting held by the European Research Group, a right-wing caucus of Tory MPs, that the government needed to be “bold” on the issue of future energy sources, such as fracking.
The hard-line on environmental measures follows that of Suella Braverman, who has gone furthest to court the right of the party by vowing to “suspend the all-consuming desire to achieve net-zero by 2050.”
Writing in the Express, she added: “If we keep it up, especially before businesses and families can adjust, our economy will end up with net-zero growth. We don’t want to end up like the Germans, going cap in hand to Putin for heating and power.”
The calls to abandon environmental measures have been criticized by fellow Tories, with Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke insisting on Twitter: “Delivering Net Zero is hugely important to prevent the devastating impact of climate change on drought and flood risk, migration flows, and food security.”
Tory MP Chris Skidmore and Conservative peer Lord Goldsmith penned a joint article in the Telegraph warning that the party would be “digging our electoral grave” if it abandons its efforts to counteract climate change.
Like Mr. Zahawi, only Jeremy Hunt has said he remains committed to meeting the government’s 2050 net-zero target.
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