Theresa May warns Kemi Badenoch’s vow to scrap key climate law if Tories win the next election would be a “catastrophic mistake” for the UK’s future.
The measures, which the former prime minister called a "retrograde" step, broke 17 years of agreement between the scientific community and mainstream political parties on the problem of climate change.
The Climate Change Act, which was introduced by the previous Labour government in 2008 and pledged the UK to reduce climate emissions by 80% by 2050, with five-year carbon budgets to keep the nation on pace towards the objective, was repealed by the Conservatives, following her remarks.
The Conservatives raised the act's goal to achieve "net zero," or zero greenhouse gas emissions, by 2050 while May was prime minister.
Responding to the announcement, Baroness May said: “For nearly two decades, the United Kingdom has led the way in tackling climate change, initially with the Climate Change Act in 2008 and again in 2019 when we became the first G7 country to legislate to get to Net Zero by 2050.
To row back now would be a catastrophic mistake for while that consensus is being tested, the science remains the same. The harms are undeniable.
We owe it to our children and grandchildren to ensure we protect the planet for their futures and that means giving business the reassurance it needs to find the solutions for the very grave challenges we face.
Ultimately, it is innovation and investment that will take us forward, but that can only be achieved by providing consistency and showing a clear determination to stick to the long-term path of reducing emissions, achieving Net Zero and protecting our planet for future generations.”
It followed warnings from former Tory minister Alok Sharma that the initiatives would jeopardize future UK jobs and investment.
Former Cop26 president Lord Sharma, who was Boris Johnson's minister of commerce, energy, and industrial strategy, warned his party not to "squander" its legacy of climate achievement "for the sake of short-term political expediency."
“Thanks to the strong and consistent commitment of the previous Conservative government to climate action and net zero, the UK attracted many tens of billions of pounds of private sector investment and accompanying jobs.
This is a story of British innovation, economic growth, skilled jobs and global leadership – not just a matter of environmental stewardship. Turning our back on this progress now risks future investment and jobs into our country, as well as our international standing.
The path to a prosperous, secure and electable future for the Conservative Party lies in building on our achievements, not abandoning them.”
He added:
“Our legacy is one of global leadership. We should not squander this for the sake of short-term political expediency.”
Speaking to The Spectator, Ms Badenoch denied that she is sceptical of the climate crisis, adding:
“That’s very obviously happening. But there’s been a lot of deception around the net zero agenda and I really want to expose that.
Net zero has become nothing more than a slogan … We need to do what we can sensibly to tackle climate change but we cannot do it alone.
If other countries aren’t doing it, then us being the goody-two-shoes of the world is not actually encouraging anyone to improve.”
Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho also defended the plan, insisting that the government needs to “put cheap electricity first”.
Speaking to Sky News, Ms Coutinho argued that the Climate Change Act forces politicians to make decisions that make Britons poorer.
She said:
“One of the biggest problems that the country faces is that our electricity prices are too high.
So, what we’ve said is we have to look at why that’s happening. Some of that is because of the Climate Change Act, which creates this very rigid budget and makes ministers choose these decisions, which are going to make them poorer.
So we need to repeal that and we need to rethink our energy strategy, to put cheap electricity first.”
Ms. Coutinho stated that her party must "look at things where we think we were in the wrong position," acknowledging that the Conservatives introduced the net zero by 2050 aim.
Because it discourages people from switching to electric cars and home heating, she said the high cost of power is "causing huge harm to families and businesses" and is "incredibly harmful for the decarbonization agenda."
If the party wins the next election, the leader of Reform UK has likewise promised to abandon net zero ambitions, saying it will save £30 billion annually.
Many nations have since adopted similar laws, but the Climate Change Act was a global first when it was first proposed.
What would repealing the Climate Change Act mean for UK emissions targets?
The Climate Change Act 2008 commits the UK to an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050; this target then increased during Theresa May’s premiership to net zero emissions by 2050.
Repealing the Act would effectively remove carbon budgets that are legally binding making the targets for reducing emissions voluntary, and no longer legally binding.
This would risk reversing progress and accountability mechanisms that ensure that public policy in government continues to advance climate change goals. Climate scientists and experts have previously warned that repealing the legislation would be a "catastrophic mistake" and a major step backward on the UK's efforts to combat climate change.