Drivers and renters face higher bills after Rishi Sunak's net zero U-turns
Drivers and renters face higher bills and net zero will be more difficult to achieve after Rishi Sunak's controversial climate U-turns.
The damning assessment - from the government's own climate advisers - comes almost a month after the PM watered down key commitments. The Climate Change Committee (CCC) said in an analysis published on Thursday the changes unveiled by the Tory leader are "likely to increase both energy bills and motoring costs for households".
In September the PM announced the sale of new petrol and diesel cars is to be put back from 2030 to 2035 while a plan to make landlords improve the energy efficiency of their properties was scrapped.
The CCC said on Thursday: "Electric vehicles will be significantly cheaper than petrol and diesel vehicles to own and operate over their lifetimes, so any undermining of their roll-out will ultimately increase costs. The cancellation of regulations on the private-rented sector will lead to higher household energy bills".
Highlighting previous government figures, the CCC said the change could have saved renters in upgraded homes £225 per year under "normal" prices. It added: "As prices are currently elevated, the effect could be bigger in the near term (e.g. £325 at the current price cap)."
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Professor Piers Forster, who chairs the CCC, said the UK's position as a "global leader on climate has come under renewed scrutiny" after the U-turns. UK emissions are supposed to fall by 68% compared with 1990 levels by the end of the decade - a critical step in reaching net zero by 2050.
But Professor Foster said: "We remain concerned about the likelihood of achieving the UK's future targets, especially the substantial policy gap to the UK's 2030 goal." He added: "Around a fifth of the required emissions reductions to 2030 are covered by plans that we assess as insufficient.
"Recent policy announcements were not accompanied by estimates of their effect on future emissions, nor evidence to back the Government’s assurance that the UK’s targets will still be met." The CCC did welcome some Government changes, including the dealto electrify the Tata Steel plant in Port Talbot.
Danny Gross, a climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: “This assessment highlights the glaring inconsistencies between the government’s rhetoric and action. Rishi Sunak has said he will honour his commitment, made at the COP27 climate talks in Egypt, to cut the UK’s carbon emissions by over two-thirds by 2030. His climate advisors are telling him loud and clear that his plans just don’t add up and the target will be missed.
“Instead, the Prime Minister is scrapping policies that would reduce harmful emissions and cut sky-high energy bills. A government of integrity, wouldn’t be trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes by pretending it can deliver on promises with a climate plan that’s just not up to scratch.”
A Government spokesman said: “The UK remains a global leader on climate – cutting emissions faster than any other G7 country – so we are confident that we will meet our future carbon commitments, including net zero, just as we have over delivered on every carbon target to date. We are taking a fairer and more pragmatic approach to meeting net zero that eases burdens on families – saving households up to £15,000 on upfront costs to upgrade their homes.
“We will continue to meet our international commitments under the Paris Agreement, while embracing the opportunities of clean industries – supporting thousands of British jobs, driving economic growth – while protecting national security and bringing down energy bills in the long term."
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