It is always fantastic to see how much the people in the UK care about protecting our environment, tackling climate change, leading the world in the ‘Green Revolution’ and setting out future measures for sustainable living and nature's recovery. As my colleague, the Shadow Secretary for State Andrew Bowie MP, put it so well during the Climate and Nature PMB debate earlier this year,
A world with a cleaner climate and with thriving nature and wildlife is one we all aspire to; it is the core belief of Conservativism that we should seek to leave the country and the world in a better place than that in which we found them, for both our children and our grandchildren
Climate change is a global challenge we must meet with practical leadership while aiming to build a cleaner, greener, healthier country here in the UK. It is a great achievement that, as of 2023, we had already rightly cut carbon emissions by 48 per cent since 1990, more than any other G7 country while still growing the economy, largely by expanding clean electricity and phasing out coal - something few other countries have achieved. It is worth noting the UK only accounts for 1 per cent of global emissions which sadly continue to rise in other countries.
According to the Climate Change Committee, the U.K. overachieved on its first three carbon budgets, while the rate of decarbonisation has more than doubled since the act’s introduction in 2008.
As many of my constituents are aware, the Climate Change Act was put through Parliament under the Labour Government in 2008 by then Labour Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. It was backed by consecutive Conservative Governments and, the UK’s 2050 net zero target was made legally binding by then Prime Minister, Theresa May.
But climate change is ultimately a huge global problem. If an excessive focus on cutting domestic emissions means British industry moves overseas to major polluters such as China, global emissions will simply increase while still causing major harm to our economy, undermining global efforts to reduce carbon emissions and leaving us reliant on imports that are more expensive, less reliable, and less environmentally friendly. It is unacceptable that businesses and households in the UK already face some of the highest energy prices in Europe, and the Government's plans for rushing to decarbonise 95 per cent of the electricity grid in just five years look set to make energy bills even more unaffordable. The Climate Change Committee's own estimates show that meeting net zero by 2050 means charging even higher prices on carbon and forcing businesses to spend billions electrifying their production processes.
In recent years, we have seen the political consensus between the main parties begin to somewhat fragment on a number of practical issues and the Overton window begin to widen once again as we see and experience the real life consequences of widely supported policies that have been in place over the past few decades – this includes climate change and will need to be addressed.
Let me be very clear - I am not ‘denying’ climate change or the need to take action but I, and my party, is saying we must do so in a way that is practical, affordable, improves people’s lives and is in line with the United Kingdom's national interests, delivering the change we all need.
As the Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch has said:
“Labour’s laws tied us in red tape, loaded us with costs, and did nothing to cut global emissions.”
I believe it is important we do repeal the Act to retake new control of our economic and energy policy. As I see it, the Climate Change Act forces Ministers to take decisions that make too many of the British people less well-off and make our economy weaker for the sake of meeting climate targets. For example, the boiler tax increases the cost of gas boilers to force people to adopt heat pumps in order to meet climate targets. We are chopping down trees in America, shipping them across the Atlantic, and burning them in Yorkshire to generate electricity at three times the price of gas, because it is labelled as 'clean' for the purpose of meeting our climate targets.
The Climate Change Act has also incentivised deindustrialisation, affecting many jobs and livelihoods. This is because the Act only counts the emissions produced within Britain. But if large swathes of the British chemicals industry closed down, for instance, this would satisfy the Act because of climate targets but we would just import more from overseas. This means a loss of jobs, tax revenue and economic growth while global carbon emissions will continue to increase. The Act was designed to show 'moral leadership' on the global stage but shutting down our industry, losing jobs, and having the highest electricity prices in the world, is making us a stark warning, not a shining example, for the rest of the world.
The Conservative Party believes climate action must go hand in hand with economic realism and energy independence, not at the expense of them. It is vital we ensure our climate policies are practical and protect families and businesses from unnecessary costs, showing that prosperity and living standards can still be maintained and energy can be kept affordable if we are to encourage other major polluters such as China to go further in tackling climate change. No one will follow a country into decline, higher costs and lower living standards for its people.
I care deeply, like you do, about our natural environment—our rivers, our wildlife, and our countryside – and here in the East Grinstead and Uckfield constituency, we are indeed blessed. But we must be honest - the current approach is now failing on both counts of keeping energy costs down while reducing our environmental impact. Politicians must start to acknowledge the trade-offs involved. Under our new leadership, the Conservatives are clear that actually delivering net zero by 2050 is, in practicality, impossible without causing a serious drop in our living standards, which is why we will repeal the Climate Change Act and introduce our Cheap Power Plan to cut energy bills for the British public, businesses and essential industries.
The Climate Change Act should be replaced with an energy strategy that puts cheap energy and economic prosperity first while balancing our environmental needs. This includes scrapping the Carbon Tax for electricity generation, saving families £75 a year and scrapping the Secretary of State for Energy's ridiculous renewable subsidies, saving families £90 a year. This does not mean I believe in abandoning all plans to reduce emissions but I will unashamedly always put people’s finances and living standards first.
I would urge you to listen to my colleague, the Shadow Energy Secretary, Clare Coutinho MP, explain more here.
