It remains to be seen whether helicopter enthusiast Sunak, who has previously given into pressure from Tory rebels, will stand firm in his commitment to net zero.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has ruled out a Brexit-style referendum on the plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, despite growing pressure from Tory backbenchers and right-wing think tanks to do so.
The U.K.’s pledge to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 has been the subject of much debate lately, with Tory MPs using the cost of living crisis as an excuse to warn against climate policies that will prove costly for voters. Along with the Tory supporting press, they have seized on the backlash against the expansion of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone following the Tory party’s surprise win in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election.
Following that victory, Sunak has appeared to back away from some policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions. Among the loudest voices calling for a referendum on net zero is former UKIP leader Nigel Farage who told the Telegraph on Wednesday that the 2050 net zero target is “unrealistic, unaffordable, and our politicians, to date, are unaccountable.”
He added: “The only way we’ll get change is through a referendum, just like with the EU.”
Farage doesn’t seem to care much for the costs to the planet of climate change unless drastic action is taken, which include intense droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms and declining biodiversity.
Asked on Wednesday whether he would put a vote on net zero to the public, the Prime Minister told ITV: “I think actually there’s agreement on it. Most people are committed to getting to net zero but getting there in a proportionate and pragmatic way. That seems to me the common sense approach to doing this that has broad support.”
He went on to add: “I have two young daughters, I care about the environment that we — I — leave them. My job is to leave it in a better state than I found it. … So, my view is I’m committed to it. We will get there.”
It remains to be seen whether helicopter enthusiast Sunak, who has previously given into pressure from Tory rebels, will stand firm in his commitment to net zero.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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