Theresa May’s decision to commit the UK to a “net zero” greenhouse gases target by 2050 was given a cautious welcome today — but sparked questions on how it would be delivered.
Britain is the first major nation to propose the target, which Mrs May said would also benefit public health and cut NHS costs. But a senior Cabinet source told the Standard although the policy was “right” it was unfair to tie the hands of the next prime minister with an expected £1 trillion spending pledge.
Cabinet ministers are expecting Mrs May to release a raft of other policies in her final weeks as she attempts to leave some legacy of her time in office.
The source said: “There’s a broad sense this policy is the right one but it’s one the prime minister’s successor should be able to decide on. This could be tying the hands of your successor on your policies, and Mrs May’s successor will have very different circumstances in front of them.”
Chancellor Phillip Hammond has warned Mrs May that “net zero” greenhouse gases would cost more than £1 trillion and that the implications of the policy needed to be better understood.
The legislation, which needs parliamentary approval, would mean major changes in British life. The Committee on Climate Change wants all new cars to be electric by 2035, the planting of three billion trees and replacing 20 million gas boilers across the country.
Energy minister Chris Skidmore told Sky News: “We can’t do this without making sure the whole of society is playing its part but it’s primarily going to come from big changes in industry. We want to set international leadership to encourage other countries to as well.”
Ed Miliband, climate change secretary under Gordon Brown, said the policy would be a “herculean task”. Shadow energy secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey raised concerns over how it would be put into practice and said behavioural change should not be viewed as a “sacrifice”. The CBI said UK firms were “squarely behind” the commitment, but urged long-term policies to support decarbonisation across the economy.
