Speaking at Blue Earth Summit yesterday (12 October 2023), Conservative MP Chris Skidmore said the future of net zero in the UK is a “tale of two worlds.”
While Skidmore is impressed with the progress on a global scale, he said the UK’s U-turns are “tragic.”
He spoke on a panel alongside shadow climate change minister Kerry McCarthy hosted by North Devon World Surfing Reserve campaigner and co-founder Ben Hewitt.
“I simply wouldn’t have believed you that we’d now have 93% of global GDP signed up to a net zero target of some sort,” said Skidmore.
“But domestically from a UK standpoint, it was frustrating if not tragic that we saw the prime minister Rishi Sunak come forward claiming he had a master plan for doing net zero in a better way.”
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Skidmore highlighted that there were “some announcements” in his speech that were positive such as increasing the boiler upgrade scheme to £7,500. But he said there was element of “green hushing” from the government.
“The government is still getting on with the EV mandate. Nothing’s changed,” he explained.
Skidmore urged the government to change its tone on net zero, highlighting that it isn’t a “challenge” but an “economic opportunity.”
“At the moment, we’re signing our own death certificate,” he said.
“But if we want to be positive about the opportunity then politicians need to be honest about the cost of delay.
“The misery and the cost of the transition is possible the longer we leave it,” Skidmore added.
