Tories at war over Badenoch’s plan to axe Climate Change Act as Theresa May brands it a ‘catastrophic mistake’
Plan to axe Climate Change Act causes Tory chaos
- Theresa May has condemned Kemi Badenoch's pledge to repeal the Climate Change Act, labelling it a "catastrophic mistake" and a "retrograde step" that would end 17 years of consensus.
- The former prime minister emphasised that rowing back on the Act, which set the UK's net zero by 2050 target, would be detrimental for future generations and business investment.
- Former Tory minister Alok Sharma also warned against the repeal, stating it would risk future investment and jobs in the UK and squander the country's legacy of climate progress.
- Kemi Badenoch defended her proposal, arguing that the net zero agenda has involved "deception" and that the UK should not act as the "goody-two-shoes" if other nations are not equally committed.
- Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho supported the plan, asserting that the Climate Change Act forces decisions that make Britons poorer and that the government must prioritise "cheap electricity".