“Rishi Sunak hit the brakes on the race to net zero yesterday. He warned that imposing ‘unacceptable costs’ on families risked wrecking support for saving the planet. In his biggest gamble as Prime Minister, he vowed to shatter a consensus that has seen successive governments impose green targets with little regard to cost. In a victory for the Mail, a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030 will be pushed back by five years. Plans to prohibit new gas boilers will also be slowed down, with five million homes given a permanent exemption. And the requirement for landlords to upgrade home insulation by 2025 will also be delayed. Mr Sunak also ruled out a string of ‘heavy-handed’ proposals put forward by government advisers, including a tax on meat…” – Daily Mail
More:
>Today:
>Yesterday:
“A Boris Johnson ally has demanded a general election “now” in fury at Rishi Sunak weakening green pledges. The Prime Minister is expected to row back on net zero policies in a major announcement in Downing Street at 4.30pm. The move has split the Tories with outrage from the environmental wing of the party. Tory peer Lord Goldsmith, who quit as environment minister in June with a scathing attack on Mr Sunak’s climate “apathy”, called for an immediate general election… Mr Sunak held a hastily arranged call with Cabinet ministers this morning after speculation about his plans emerged last night. A speech had been due to take place later this week but the leak to the BBC appears to have prompted Downing Street to bring the announcement forward.” – Daily Express
More cars:
>Today: Sam Richards in Comment: Sunak’s Net Zero speech 2) It disappointed investors and demoralised allies. Nonetheless, his plan may work.
>Yesterday: Sir John Redwood MP’s column: Britain isn’t ready for the vast amounts of construction the clean energy revolution will demand
“Labour has pledged to reinstate the 2030 deadline for the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars if it wins the next election. Steve Reed, the shadow environment secretary, said the party would reverse Rishi Sunak’s decision to delay the policy for five years. But Sir Keir Starmer chose not to directly address the announcement or openly criticise the Prime Minister’s speech. He dodged addressing the issue head on, instead posting a message about showing “the leadership needed to secure Britain’s future”… Within minutes of Mr Sunak wrapping up his announcement the Tories started to heap pressure on Sir Keir over his stance on net zero. Conservative HQ issued a list of five questions to the Labour leader saying he “must decide where he stands on one of the biggest long-term challenges we face”.” – Daily Telegraph
“Rishi Sunak last night dropped his biggest hint yet that HS2 will be next on his tough-choices chopping board. He refused to guarantee the flagship high-speed line would ever reach Manchester, when grilled by The Sun. He said: “I’m not going to speculate on lots of the other things people will be talking about.” At a Downing Street press conference, Mr Sunak warned he would be announcing a “series of long-term decisions” in the coming months. Fears have been mounting that HS2 will be massively scaled back to save tens of billions from its eye-watering budget. Ministers have already ditched the North Eastern leg of the line to Leeds, and the central London terminal at Euston. Labour has accused the Tories of mounting a “great rail betrayal” and has committed to building HS2 in full.” – The Sun
“We have to be honest. The net zero agenda has sped along, but we must not lose sight of the need to protect households who are struggling to pay bills. This is the only way to ensure we are protecting the huge progress that we have made. Clumsy net zero policies are threatening the whole climate change agenda. In Germany, a rushed attempt to ban boilers has contributed to wider opposition against net zero policies. The far-Right AfD has tapped into this and is now polling above 20 per cent. In the Netherlands, the government fell in part due to the rise of a new party opposed to restrictions on agriculture. In France, the president called for an EU-wide pause on more regulation while the rest of the world catches up. Here in the UK, unions who are normally friendly to Labour have warned against delivering net zero on the backs of working people.” – Daily Telegraph
Motives:
“Those disappointed by Rishi Sunak’s sensible decision to delay the deadlines that set the pace of the British economy’s transition to net zero should not blame the prime minister. It was Boris Johnson, playing as statesman as the United Kingdom prepared to host the Cop26 climate summit, who rushed forward by a decade the ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles. It was Theresa May, in the final weeks of her premiership, who led the desultory 90 minutes of parliamentary debate that waved a legally binding 2050 net zero target onto the statute book. Both decisions were symptomatic of a political culture that has persistently failed to reckon with the true costs of a policy that will fundamentally reshape the Britain’s economic landscape.” – The Times
Sketches:
“Handbag giant Anya Hindmarch has joined Britain’s prestigious Board of Trade to bang the drum for Brexit abroad. Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch will tomorrow unveil a new team of celebrity business leaders to help the UK hit £1 trillion worth exports per year by 2030. Ms Badenoch will swap “dry” policy wonks on the Board, first formed in the 17th century, for the likes of Ms Hindmarch, film industry tycoon Paul Golding and Universal Music chief Lucien Grange. Only four previous members will stay on – Lord Hannan, Lord Mayor, Karen Betts and Tony Abbott. Earlier this year the PM praised Ms Hinmarch for providing “many great birthday and Christmas presents”. Ministers hope the new-look board will use their international “clout” to open up trade opportunities that smaller British businesses can benefit from.” – The Sun
“Nigel Farage has blasted the City watchdog for its “whitewash” probe that found no proof of de-banking fears. The Brexiteer condemned the Financial Conduct Authority after it found no single account had been closed over personal beliefs. Mr Farage had been told his account with Coutts, which is owned by NatWest, would be shut as his views were “at odds” with the private bank. The ex-Ukip leader said: “The FCA says it finds no evidence of politicians being ‘de-banked’ over political views… Mr Farage called for sackings at the FCA, after they sought information from 34 banking organisations to inform their report. It is understood the regulator didn’t consider his case as it wasn’t within the time period looked at by the probe. Tory MP Danny Kruger said the findings raised “serious questions” about the FCA.” – The Sun
“Liz Truss has said corporation tax should be cut to below 19 per cent to make Britain a more attractive base for big business. The former prime minister said she would like to see the levy cut from 25 per cent to 19 per cent – or “indeed lower” – as she warned that the UK is relying on subsidies to tempt firms put off by excessive taxes. Slashing the rate below 19 per cent would go further than Ms Truss’s pledge to keep a lid on the tax when she was in No10. She had promised to scrap former chancellor Rishi Sunak’s plans for a six point rise, from 19 per cent to 25 per cent, but made a U-turn in the face of the market turmoil that followed her ill-fated mini-Budget. Mr Sunak went on to deliver the tax hike when he took over as prime minister, with the levy now standing at 25 per cent.” – Daily Telegraph
Comment:
>Today: Comment: Reducing demand for government 4) Why it hasn’t happened in the past, why it needs to happen now – and how it could.
>Yesterday:
“England’s suffering seaside towns need a £50 million cash injection to free them from yobs, MPs demanded today. Police chiefs and politicians have implored the PM to create a new “Coastal Surge Fund’ to help once-loved resorts fight “vandalism and drunken brawls” during busy summer months. The plea comes as new research from the Onward think tank shows crime rates are 12 per cent worse on England’s coast, with hotspots like coastal North Devon seeing crime 151 per cent higher than nearby inland areas. Funding for cops don’t account for coastal tourism. MPs say in summer this means local forces are undermanned by up to 7,500 officers… Onward argue a £50m Coastal Surge Fund would enable towns to bring in sufficient police support to tackle yob behaviour in the high season.” – The Sun
Such places hold the key to solving our housing crisis – Adam Hawksbee, The Times
“The UK government on Wednesday attempted to prevent a whistleblower who raised concerns about its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 from using key parts of evidence to fight her upcoming employment tribunal case. Josie Stewart, a former senior civil servant who worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, was dismissed for giving an anonymous BBC interview about the fall of Kabul in 2021 and is now suing the FCDO. She has brought a whistleblowing and unfair dismissal lawsuit in the Central London Employment Tribunal which is set to be heard in May 2024. The UK’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 was criticised by MPs, with the then foreign secretary Dominic Raab condemned for staying on holiday as the Taliban retook Afghanistan.” – FT
More:
“Labour has threatened to report the Lib Dems to the POLICE over by-election “smear” tactics. The party has sent a cease and desist letter alleging “cynical” behaviour against their candidate in the Mid-Bedfordshire contest. Sir Keir Starmer hopes to pull off an historic upset next month by overturning a 24,000 Tory majority in Nadine Dorries’ old seat. But he believes his candidate’s chances are being damaged by a “smear campaign” Labour claims could even be illegal. Top Labour MP Peter Kyle – who is leading the campaign – claimed the Lib Dems have “gone feral” and were “wallowing in the gutter”. But the Lib Dems tonight shot back that his accusations amounted to nothing more than “dirty tricks”.” – The Sun
>Today: Cllr Simon Ball in Local Government: In Rotherham, we have Labour councillors debating national issues – while ignoring their own failings