Kemi Badenoch should take care to emphasise the latter as well as the former, so as to reassure environmentally-minded Conservatives that this is about better policy, not a dirtier planet.
So, what of the future and purpose of the Conservative Party? When it comes to AI and what a true tech revolution might provide there’s a vacancy a slot for a cautiously optimistic pro-AI party. I wonder who might be willing to fill it?
The cost of electricity is indeed too high though overall progress is not too bad. There are economic opportunities here which Conservatives as a pro-growth party should be focussing on.
There is no point in trying to extricate ourselves from being Washington’s vassal only to become Beijing’s. Net zero at all costs is a recipe for national humiliation.
We can acknowledge that many became uncomfortable with the costs that net zero seemed set to impose but we must also go back to first principles – as scientists, as engineers, as financiers and as Conservatives.
If Labour wants to avoid a full-blown driver revolt, they’re going to have to start paying attention to the very real concerns of the people who rely on their cars every single day.
Nearly two-thirds of 2019 Conservative voters buying a new car say they will likely get an electric or hybrid vehicle; nearly half of those who voted for Reform in 2024 are switching too.
Our generating capacity and National Grid infrastructure are nowhere near ready for a full transition away from fossil fuels, and the political price of forcing lower living standards on voters will be very steep indeed.
And thus we arrive at the most important (and inevitable) of all deflationary trends: demographic change. Retired people tend to consume less than their working age compatriots – thus putting downward pressure on demand as the population ages.
Developing our remaining reserves creates employment opportunities and generates much-needed tax revenues as we transition to alternatives.
The announcements made today are a positive continuation of our existing environmental policy, and a fine example of the Prime Minister’s pragmatic, and somewhat unsentimental approach to the major issues of the day.
If the Government is serious about planning reforms and changes to the way we hook stuff up to the grid, it’s just possible today’s speech could end up accelerating the rollout of electric cars, and the deployment of new clean energy.
Most women are not Jeremy Clarkson-style petrolheads; their cars take them to work, their children to school, and their elderly to the health centre.
There’s undoubtedly a lot to do before 2030 and beyond. But our target drives the investment and innovation needed to deliver the electric vehicle transformation, lower people’s bills, create jobs, and tackle climate change.
Next time you hear “I’m never buying an EV” or “you won’t catch me driving one of those plug-in things”, you might be listening to an enlightened futurist, not a frustrated Luddite.