Rishi Sunak is planning to row back on some of the government’s net zero policies that impose a direct cost on consumers as theThe Guardian understands that the move, expected to be announced in a major speech this Friday, could include delaying aThe prime minister is also expected to drop plans for new energy-efficiency targets for private rented homes after ministers considered imposing fines on landlords who failed to upgrade their properties.
However, he appeared to defend his decision to row back on other targets by claiming he was putting “the long-term interests of our country before the short-term political needs of the moment”, despite some Tory MPs accusing him of doing the opposite. “I just came out of a meeting where a chunk of the British economy was assured by ministers that net zero was a top priority and that policy stability was crucial for investors. Now this,” she said.
It was also suggested that the prime minister would announce there would be no new taxes to discourage flying and no new policies to change people’s diets or encourage carpooling. He is also expected to rule out proposed recycling schemes with multiple bins.The prime minister has been under pressure from the Conservative right to delay or evenafter the party’s victory in the Uxbridge byelection – in part a protest vote at the expansion of London’s low-emissions scheme.