The Conservatives have pledged to scrap Britain’s landmark climate change law that limits pollution, and replace it with a plan for “cheap and reliable” energy.
Party leader Kemi Badenoch said scrapping the Climate Change Act – brought in by Labour in 2008 and later strengthened by Tory PM Theresa May – would benefit cheap energy, economic growth and Britain’s declining industrial sector.
“Climate change is real. But Labour’s laws tied us in red tape, loaded us with costs, and did nothing to cut global emissions,” said Ms Badenoch.
“Under my leadership, we will scrap those failed targets. Our priority now is growth, cheaper energy, and protecting the natural landscapes we all love.”
The party did not provide any figures to quantify the financial impact of such a change, although certain parts of the proposals have been gathering support beyond Conservative circles.
While the plans drew support from within the Tory ranks, and are backed by Reform UK, they were condemned by conservation charities, scientists and business and energy groups.
The CBI, which represents more than 150,000 businesses, warned it would “damage our economy”.
The Drax power plant is subsidised to burn wood instead of coal, a practice controversial with the Tories and environmentalists alike. Pic: Reuters
What is the Climate Change Act and why do the Conservatives want to scrap it?
The Climate Change Act requires the UK to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and to produce five-yearly budgets to keep the country on track.
Net zero means cutting emissions as much as possible and offsetting the rest.
United Nations scientists warn reaching it by 2050 is necessary to avoid climate damages like droughts and floods and ecosystem collapse that would be very difficult to cope with.
But political support has been wavering: Ms Badenoch says achieving it is impossible and Reform leader Nigel Farage claims scrapping net zero targets would save £30bn a year.
The Conservatives said the Act had forced governments to bring in “burdensome rules and regulations that have increased energy bills for families and businesses, eaten away at Britain’s manufacturing sector, and contributed to a worsening in economic growth”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Businesses urged to ‘step forward’ on climate
They pointed to the controversial Drax energy plant, which is publicly subsidised to burn wood instead of coal to generate electricity, support for which is already wavering.
The party also cited costly legal challenges to developments and lengthy planning processes, something Labour also admits is a problem.
Claire Coutinho MP, shadow energy secretary, said the act is “forcing ministers to adopt policies which are making energy more expensive”.
“That is deindustrialising Britain, causing hardship for families, and perversely it makes it harder for people to adopt electric products that can reduce emissions.”
But it is not clear how their plans to maximise oil and gas projects in the North Sea would lower bills or boost jobs, as the fuels are sold on international markets, and reserves are dwindling.
Nor did it detail whether scrapping pollution rules for industry would boost it enough to compensate for other losses to the economy if clean investors pulled out.
How have others reacted?
Energy UK’s chief executive Dhara Vyas said the Act is the “legal bedrock that underpins billions of pounds of international investment in the UK”, including places like Humber and Teesside.
She said treating it as a “political football is a surefire way to scare off investors.”
Simon Francis from the End Fuel Poverty Coalition of NGOs said there is “no way to lower bills or energy security by prolonging our dependence on gas”, while Friends of the Earth chief executive Asad Rehman said the Party “[turning] its back on the science” was “political suicide”.
The Conservative Party said its environmental focus instead will be on enhancing and preserving the natural world.
Professor Myles Allen from Oxford University said the act may need updating, like the NHS does. “But you wouldn’t announce you were going to scrap the NHS without explaining what you were going to replace it.”
Ms Badenoch further announced today that her shadow cabinet will on Friday agree a policy of leaving the European Convention on Human Rights, which she also says is holding Britain back.
