30 July 2023 , 21:30
1005
0
Tory in-fighting over climate targets has escalated as an ex-Cabinet minister called for the 2030 ban on the sale of new polluting cars to be paused.
Ex-Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel - an ally of former PM Boris Johnson - hit out at the "corrosive culture" of spending public money to "chase" targets.
Over the weekend over 40 Tory MPs and peers also wrote to Mr Sunak calling for the deadline to be pushed back. And the former Conservative Chancellor Lord Philip Hammond also claimed successive Tory PM's had been "systematically dishonest" over the cost of net zero.
It came as Rishi Sunak finally confirmed the Government is not "considering a delay" to the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.
He told The Sunday Telegraph: “The 2030 target has been our policy for a long time and continues to be". Just last week he swerved the question while a series of ministers gave muddled responses on the flagship commitment.
Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade
caption: Priti Patel GB NewsThe government has a legally binding target to reach net zero by 2050 and green groups have warned they will "not standy by" if ministers try to water down commitments in the face of the climate emergency. In a joint letter to the PM dozens of environmental groups, including The Woodland Trust, the RSPB, the National Trust and the RSPCA urged him not to use net zero as a "political football".
The row follows the Tories' unexpected and narrow win at the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election where the party opposed the expansion of London's ultra-low emissions zone.
On Monday the Prime Minister will also visit north-east Scotland where he will set details of government plans for the UK's fossil fuel and green industries.Ministers are due to announce millions of pounds in funding for the Acorn carbon capture project in Aberdeenshire, a joint venture between Shell UK and other companies, according to the Sunday Times. Carbon capture projects seek to trap and store carbon dioxide to precent it entering the atmosphere.
But despite alarm from climate campaigners, the government is committed to new oil and gas licences in the North Sea.
The Government is expected to highlight efforts to "boost the capability" of the North Sea industry in the transition to net zero, with Downing Street describing Scotland as the "cornerstone" of its energy plans.
Jamie Peters, climate co-ordinator at Friends of the Earth, said ending the UK's "reliance" on fossil fuels was the "only sensible and effective way" of increasing energy security. "This means saying no to new fossil fuel developments and ramping up our investment in renewables and energy efficiency," he said.
"The UK is blessed with huge renewable energy resources, offshore and onshore, and we should be making better use of these for long-term security and economic prosperity. "With parts of the world literally on fire, we need our politicians to show bolder leadership on cutting emissions - not more dither and delay."
The PM also said over the weekend he has ordered the Department for Transport to review low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) policies.
* Follow Mirror Politics on Snapchat, Tiktok, Twitter and Facebook.