The Government is committed to net zero by 2050 and the agreements the UK has made internationally – but doing so in a better, more proportionate way. For too many years politicians in governments of all stripes have not been honest about costs and trade offs. Instead they have taken the easy way out, saying we can have it all.
This realism does not mean losing our ambition or abandoning our commitments. Far from it. I am proud that Britain is leading the world on climate change. Our politics must again put the long-term interests of our country before the short-term political needs of the moment, changing the way we do politics.
The UK has set the most ambitious target to reduce carbon emissions by 68 per cent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels – and is the only major economy to have set a target of 77 per cent for 2035. This follows progress over the past decades to cut emissions faster than any other G7 country, with the UK having already slashed emissions by 48 per cent, compared to 41 per cent, in Germany, 23 per cent in France and no change at all in the United States. It is this over-delivery on reducing emissions that provides the space to take a more pragmatic, proportionate, and realistic approach to reaching net zero.
I am pleased that these revised plans will ease the burden on working people, as the Government has made it clear that the plans to meet net zero will only succeed if public support is maintained. This includes: easing the transition to electric vehicles from 2030 to 2035, in line with other similar countries; giving families far more time to transition to heat pumps while significantly increasing grants to upgrade boilers; scrapping onerous energy efficiency requirements and not forcing people to make alterations; no rules on carpooling, seven different bins and more expensive meat; and supporting new oil and gas in the North Sea.
Finally, the Government is going even further for households and investors by embracing the opportunities of the green economy to create more well paid jobs, through initiatives such as brand new funding to support green research and development, and more onshore and offshore wind with an improved auction round.
I can assure you that the UK will remain the country with the most ambitious, stringent de-carbonisation targets in the world even after these changes are made.