‘The Conservatives have no solution to the cost of living crisis, and Rishi Sunak is only raising bills and making Britain more insecure.’

The Climate Change Committee (CCC), which advises the UK and devolved governments on emission targets, has issued a damning verdict about the government’s reversals on key climate policies.

The watchdog warns that the rollbacks will make Net Zero “considerably harder to achieve,” and will keep energy bills high for millions of households. The U-turn on the phasing out of petrol and diesel vehicles and gas boilers has created a sense that the government is “weakening its commitments” to moving to a green economy. By sending adverse signals to businesses, consumers and other governments, the policy backtracking has harmed the prospect of inward investment to Britain, the watchdog warns.

Sunak’s U-turn on the government’s climate commitments, announced in September, included the scrapping of plans which would have forced landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their rental properties. The CCC’s report found that rollback will cost renters around £325 a year in higher bills.

The lack of interest in offshore windfarms in Britain is also described as concerning. In early September, none of the companies hoping to build offshore windfarms in UK waters participated in the government’s annual auction. The auction awards contracts to generate renewable energy for 15 years at a set price. The companies had repeatedly warned ministers that the auction price was set too low for offshore windfarms to consider after costs in the sector soared by around 40 percent due to inflation across their supply chains.

Piers Forster, acting chair of the CCC, said that in relaxing important policies to decarbonise buildings and transport, the Prime Minister had “sent a message to business and the international audience that he will allow more time for the UK to transition to key clean technologies.”

“We remain concerned about the likelihood of achieving the UK’s future targets, especially the substantial policy gap to the UK’s 2030 goals,” he added.

Responding to the CCC’s report, Ed Miliband, shadow secretary of state for Net Zero, said it was “damning evidence from the government’s own watchdog that Rishi Sunak’s decisions to force renters to live in damp homes and delay the transition to electric vehicles will increase costs for families across Britain.”

“This report also confirms that this government is seriously off track to meet its climate targets, storing up costs and damage for future generations. The Conservatives have no solution to the cost of living crisis, and Rishi Sunak is only raising bills and making Britain more insecure,” Miliband told the Guardian.

Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward

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