Policy shift for Sunak as he plans to weaken key green policies ahead of 2024 election

In what comes as a major policy shift, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is planning to weaken some of the green commitments made by his government, according to a BBC report.

In total, as many as seven core policy changes are currently under discussion and could be announced by Sunak himself during a planned speech in the coming days.

Under the proposal, Sunak could delay a ban on the sales of new petrol and diesel cars and phasing out gas boilers, the report stated. Currently, the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars is set to come into force in 2030. However, the government could push it to 2035 despite batting for the previous timeline since 2020 in various policy papers.

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Secondly, the Tory administration will attempt to water down the proposal of phasing out the installation of gas boilers by 2035. While the timeline will not be altered, the government is expected to only want 80 per cent of the boilers to be phased out by that year.

Additionally, the 2026 ban on off-grid oil boilers will be delayed to 2035 and only an 80 per cent phase-out target will be set for that date.

As for homeowners and landlords, the government will inform that there will be noenergy efficiency regulations on homes. Previously, the Conservative leaders had come under heavy scrutiny for considering plans to impose fines on landlords who failed to upgrade their properties to a certain level of energy efficiency.

Sunak will also convey to Britons that there will beno new taxes to discourage flying; no government policies to change people's diets; and no measures to encourage carpooling. Last but not least, the Tory leadership might rule out the burdensome recycling schemes which have caused deep inconveniences to the public.

Watch |UK PM Rishi Sunak's energy policy deepens rift between Tories and Labour

Why the pivot?

Notably, the expected pivot on the green policy by Sunak had long been coming,experts say. He had come under extreme pressure from the Conservative right wing to create a dividing line with Labour ahead of next year's election.

During the speech, announcing the changes, Sunak will hail the UK as a world leader on net zero. He will build upon it and argue that Britain had over-delivered on confronting climate change while other nations were continuing with their own ways.

(With inputs from agencies)

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