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The Prime Minister will deliver a speech today in Downing Street at 4.30pm.

It comes after an emergency Cabinet meeting was called on Wednesday (September 20) on the first day of the Commons conference recess. It is understood Rishi Sunak will announce a delay on the 2030 ban on petrol-hungry cars.

He could also discuss the commitment to phase out gas boilers and announce a similar delay on that. Last night, he failed to deny reports while Home Secretary Suella Braverman seemed to rewrite the government's climate targets, the Mirror reports.

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Tory peer Zac Goldsmith, who quit as Environment Minister in June, said: "Around the world, one of the few areas where the UK is really looked up to is on climate and the environment. Today Sunak is dismantling that credibility, not by accident but by choice."

He added: "His short stint as PM will be remembered as the moment the UK turned its back on the world and on future generations. A moment of shame".

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The Tory MP Chris Skidmore, who led a Government review of net zero, said the move is "potentially the greatest mistake of his [Mr Sunak's] premiership so far". "We have seen in the past when David Cameron decided to cut the 'green crap' as he called it, actually it cost households £5billion extra every year as a result of that decision not to invest in extra insulation.

"We can't afford to repeat mistakes of the past," he added.

Reports also emerged last night of Tory MPs considering writing letters of no confidence in the PM if he decides to go ahead with the changes to environmental commitments. The manufacturer Ford also warned delaying the ban on petrol and diesel cars will "undermine" what the company needs from the Government in an angry statement.

Lisa Brankin, who chairs Ford UK, said: "Our business needs three things from the UK Government: ambition, commitment and consistency. A relaxation of 2030 would undermine all three. "We need the policy focus trained on bolstering the EV (electric vehicle) market in the short term and supporting consumers while headwinds are strong: infrastructure remains immature, tariffs loom and cost-of-living is high."

Another car maker, Stellantis, said "clarity is required from governments on important legislation".

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said Mr Sunak "seems intent on trashing the economy of the future", adding: "The Conservatives have already trashed the economy of today. Now Rishi Sunak seems intent on trashing the economy of the future as well.

"The British people are trying to do the right things for our planet, even as they are struggling to make ends meet. But they have been let down over and over again by this out-of-touch Conservative Government.

"This latest Conservative chaos is putting hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk across the UK, and leaving families and pensioners paying sky-high energy bills. "Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives clearly don't have a clue what's best for the future of our planet or our economy."