British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is surprisingly softening his country’s climate targets: the end of new cars with combustion engines is postponed from 2030 to 2035. Sunak also wants to slow down the switch from gas and oil heating to heat pumps. As a result, it provokes controversial reactions in politics, business and civil society.
Critics warned that the move would jeopardize the investments the economy had already made in transitioning to e-mobility. Car manufacturer Ford accused Sunak of ignoring the needs of the industry. “Our sector needs three things from the UK government: ambition, commitment and consistency,” the company said in a statement. Relaxing the ban on combustion engines would undermine all three.
Johnson warns of ‘collapse’
Former Prime Minister and Sunak party colleague Boris Johnson criticized that companies should have certainty about the country’s climate neutrality targets. “We cannot afford to give in now,” Johnson said, according to a statement. Johnson had prescribed ambitious climate goals for his country, which his successors are now gradually abandoning. The issue is likely to feature heavily at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester in early October.
Is Sunak hoping for votes?
Sunak denied the move was primarily a response to poor polling for his party, which is expected to hold a general election next year. But it is suspected that he is mainly hoping for votes with the measure.
In the victory of Sunak’s Tories in the by-election for Johnson’s former London constituency in July, opposition to the expansion of the ULEZ low emissions zone was seen as decisive by London Labor mayor Sadiq Khan. Sky News reporter Beth Rigby also described Sunak’s speech as “the start of a very long election campaign”.
Work for the end of combustion engines
The energy policy spokesman for the opposition Labor party, which is comfortably ahead of Sunak’s Conservatives in the polls, announced that Labor would stick to the current date for phasing out combustion engines if it wins the expected general election next year.
However, a flash poll by opinion research institute YouGov shows that Sunak has a majority of the population on his side when it comes to delaying the phasing out of combustion engines. Accordingly, 50 percent of Britons said they supported the measure, while only 34 percent were in favor of maintaining the previous targets. 3,201 adults in Britain were surveyed (see tweet below).
The move was also welcomed by Sunak’s immediate predecessor Liz Truss. She also called for the repeal of the tax on excess profits on oil and gas revenues and the ban on fracking to further reduce energy costs for consumers.
Unplanned measures “removed”
What caused surprise was that Sunak announced that he would withdraw a number of measures that were never intended. These include alleged requirements about the minimum number of passengers in a car, or taxes on meat, flights or holidays. “I also put them in the bin,” Sunak said.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
