According to a report, the British government wants to overturn some climate protection measures. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that he would provide clarity in the coming days.
According to a media report, the conservative British government wants to postpone the end of combustion engines. As the BBC reported on Tuesday evening, according to the plans, new vehicles with pure petrol or diesel engines could be sold until 2035, instead of only until 2030 as previously planned.
A total of eight climate protection measures could be overturned, such as the end of new installations of gas heating systems by 2035 and planned rules for better energy efficiency in houses, it said.
Sunak wants to speak out
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appeared to confirm the report in principle. He announced in a statement in the evening that he would give a speech in the coming days in response to the publication.
In it he wanted to announce an “important long-term decision so that our country becomes the place that I know we all want for our children.” He added that the government remains committed to the goal of climate neutrality by 2050, but it should be achieved in a “more proportionate way”. He is also proud that Great Britain is leading the world in climate protection.
Government should provide clarity
However, the plan is also met with resistance within its own ranks. Several members of his Conservative Party threatened to withdraw their confidence in the head of government if Sunak deviated from previous plans.
Sunak’s former environmental adviser Zac Goldsmith spoke of a “moment of shame”. “His short term as prime minister will be remembered as the moment the UK turned its back on the world and future generations,” he told the BBC. Tory MP and former energy secretary Chris Skidmore warned that Sunak was making “the biggest mistake of his time in office”.
The industry association SMMT was concerned. The state and industry have invested billions in e-mobility. A postponement of the ban could lead to drivers delaying the switch to electric cars, SMMT boss Mike Hawes told BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday. Conservative media, however, welcomed the announcement. “Finally! Common sense,” wrote the Daily Mail. Home Secretary Suella Braverman backed Sunak. “We will not save the planet by driving the British into bankruptcy,” the hardliner told Times Radio.
Even the British UN delegation was not inaugurated
According to reports, speculation about a further watering down of climate targets caused great surprise in the conservative ruling party. Even the British delegation at the ongoing United Nations General Assembly in New York was not inaugurated, reported Sky News reporter Sam Coates.
A spokesman for the opposition Labor Party described the government’s alleged change of course as a “complete farce”. The government must provide clarity immediately, he demanded. “The country cannot continue like this with a conservative government in chaos, stumbling from one crisis to the next.”
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
