Rishi Sunak DENIES making up meat taxes, seven bins and car sharing laws after 'scrapping' them in net zero plans
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The Prime Minister insists 'very credible people' had discussed the possibility of a meat tax and compulsory car sharing before he 'ruled them out' in yesterday's eyebrow-raising speech. Rishi Sunak this week revealed his latest environmental plans at a press conference on Wednesday (September 20).
Among his controversial proposals to push back the ban on new petrol and diesel car sales by five years and a relaxation on rules about boilers and heat pumps, the PM listed a number of other measures he claimed to be 'scrapping'. They included proposals on the number of passengers you can have in your car, measures to make houses have seven different bins, taxes on meat and flying abroad.
Mr Sunak said the proposals were 'unnecessary and heavy-handed' but, for many commentators and members of the public, it was the first time they had heard of them. Now, the PM has hit back at claims he was making up the series of frightening proposals on climate change, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I reject that entirely."
"These are all things that have been raised by very credible people about ways to meet our net zero obligations," said Mr Sunak. "Alongside the very substantive changes that we have announced when it comes to the transition on electric vehicles and how we heat our homes and whether people should be forced, we believe they should not be, to improve the energy efficiency in their homes.”
The PM cited the Committee on Climate Change as the source of the policies, adding: “If you look at their report it talks about an accelerated shift away from dairy and meat. It said that diets will need to shift away.
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"It also says we have to implement measures to bring that about.” On compulsory car sharing, Mr Sunak added: “What it then says euphemistically is one would need to consider demand-side measures to bring that about, which are otherwise known as compulsion or taxes.”
The committee was set up in 2008 as an independent body to provide advice to government on climate policies. However, it does not have the power to impose rules on the public.
Mr Sunak also insisted his announcement, about changes to the way the UK would reach 'net zero' carbon emissions, was not a case of 'playing politics' but instead about the 'long-term interest of the country'. "We are absolutely not slowing down efforts to combat climate change," he added.
"I am very proud of our country’s leadership. We have decarbonised faster than any other major economy in the G7, not a fact you hear reported that often.”
Mr Sunak's announcement was met with criticism yesterday by some businesses, including Ford, and opposition MPs. Labour’s shadow net zero secretary says he will 'relish' going 'toe-to-toe' with the Conservatives on the issue during the next general election campaign.
Ed Miliband told Politico: “The interesting thing is if you talk to all of the people who look at these things, if you look at the More In Common polling, for example, the public are really smart about this. The public are very in favour of tackling the climate emergency because they see it as a route to good jobs for the future.
“They see it as protecting their kids and they want to make sure that it works for them economically. And I think what I’m saying to you very clearly is that I relish the prospect of going toe to toe with this Government on saying who can make this transition work economically for the British people.
“Because the idea that Rishi Sunak, who is seen as out of touch, has delivered the biggest cost of living crisis in a generation, is the answer to the question of who is going to implement the green transition in a fair way, I mean come off it frankly.”
