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He delayed a ban on new petrol and diesel cars by five years to 2035 and added nine years to the phasing-out of new gas boilers.<\/p>\n
Pledging to be \u201chonest\u201d in changing the way of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, the PM insisted that the UK was already ahead of other countries and could not impose \u201cunacceptable costs\u201d on the public. Mr Sunak said\u00a0in a speech at Downing Street yesterday: \u201cThe risk here to those of us who care about reaching net zero, as I do, is simple \u2013 if we continue down this path we risk losing the consent of the British people.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the resulting backlash would not just be against specific policies but against the wider mission itself, meaning we might never achieve our goal. That\u2019s why we have to do things differently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Sunak said that the green shake-up would save the average family up to \u00a315,000.<\/p>\n
His widely-expected announcements were both welcomed and attacked within the Tory Party.<\/p>\n
Tory environmentalist Lord Zac Goldsmith even went so far as to demand a General Election over the \u201ceconomically and ecologically illiterate decision\u201d to change tack.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: <\/strong> Boris net-zero blast takes wind out of Sunak\u2019s sails<\/strong><\/p>\n But party backing for Mr Sunak came from Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg who served in Boris Johnson\u2019s Cabinet. He called the ex-Premier, who yesterday criticised the changes, a \u201cnet zero zealot\u201d.<\/p>\n The Tories\u2019 holding on to Mr Johnson\u2019s former Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat after a campaign against the growth of the ultra low emission zone in London, had bolstered some party members\u2019 calls for green policies to be binned.<\/p>\n Voters nationally supported the new petrol and diesel car ban when it was announced in 2020, by 49% to 32% in a YouGov poll. But by July opposition had risen to 47% as support slipped to 42%.<\/p>\n Tory voters in particular turned against it, with their opposition jumping from 45% to 68%.<\/p>\n Previous PM Liz Truss, who had called for the delay, hailed Mr Sunak\u2019s changes including the postponement on banning oil and gas boilers, saying: \u201cThis is particularly important for rural areas.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms Truss added: \u201cI now urge the Government to abolish the windfall tax on oil and gas and [to] lift the fracking ban, which would reduce people\u2019s energy bills and make the UK more competitive.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Sunak declared yesterday: \u201cWhen you ask most people about climate change, they want to do the right thing, they\u2019re even prepared to make sacrifices. But it cannot be right for Westminster to impose such significant costs on working people, especially those who are already struggling to make ends meet, and to interfere so much in people\u2019s way of life without a properly informed national debate.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cWe do not have to be powerless, our future doesn\u2019t have to be a foregone conclusion. Our destiny can be our own choosing. But only if we change the way our politics works.<\/p>\n \u201cCan we be brave in the decisions we make? Even if there is a political cost? Can we be honest when the facts change, even if it\u2019s awkward? And can we put the long-term interests of our country before the short-term political needs of the moment, even if it means being controversial?\u201d The Premier went on: \u201cThe test should be \u2013 do we have the fairest credible path to reach net zero by 2050 in a way that brings people with us? I don\u2019t think they meet that test.<\/p>\n \u201cWe seem to have defaulted to an approach which will impose unacceptable costs on hard-pressed British families. Costs that no one was ever told about, and which may not actually be necessary to deliver the emissions reduction.\u201d<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> The changes follow Labour\u2019s 20-point lead in the polls.<\/p>\n Mr Sunak conceded there was \u201clots of resistance\u201d to his changes, as he dodged a challenge on whether he was in a panic ahead of a General Election next year. Taking questions after his speech, the PM said that when Chancellor he was critical of Mr Johnson\u2019s Government being \u201con autopilot to just adopt\u201d green policies.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cWhat I don\u2019t want to do is make yet more short-term decisions, easy ways out and ultimately not be straight with the country about what those mean.\u201d In his speech, Mr Sunak had confirmed households would never be made to \u201crip out\u201d existing boilers to replace them with heat pumps.<\/p>\n He also said more financial support would be given to help households switch to pump devices.<\/p>\n Mr Sunak insisted he saw \u201cno problem\u201d explaining his pushback to his climate-conscious daughters Krishna and Anoushka. The PM added: \u201cIt is absolutely wrong to describe in any way, shape or form what I\u2019m doing today as \u2018watering down our targets\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cIf someone thinks that what we\u2019re doing is somehow not sufficient, not ambitious enough, I don\u2019t know what they\u2019d say to pretty much every other country in the world, because we are way out ahead already.\u201d<\/p>\n But eco-campaigners accused the Government of \u201ckicking net zero further down the road\u201d.<\/p>\n Leo Murray, the co-director of climate action charity Possible, said the \u201cdisastrous U-turn on the UK\u2019s most essential climate policies will keep people\u2019s bills high and our emissions even higher. Climate change is an issue that a majority of the UK electorate agree on…voters will judge this Government harshly if they continue to backtrack. It\u2019s time for politicians to show real climate leadership and go forwards.\u201d<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/139\/590x\/secondary\/4970040.jpg?r=1695245414378\")
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Rishi costing the UK billions by pushing back the petrol car ban, Top Gear says[POLITICS] <\/strong><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/139\/590x\/secondary\/4970027.jpg?r=1695245414471\")
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