Analysis: Boris Johnson’s 2035 clean energy goal shows Britain as unenthusiastic leader on climate

Britain must rid itself of gas-fired power in 14 years, but conservationists say investment in nuclear will slow down process, writes Harry Cockburn

Leading the way, or just a backseat driver? Boris Johnson speaks at a construction site in Manchester on 4 October 2021 (Reuters)

As his government prepares to step into the full glare of the international spotlight during the the UN’s Cop26 summit, Boris Johnson has sought to cast Britain as a “climate leader”,

At this week’s Conservative Party conference, under pressure to respond to Labour’s strong stance on the environment at their own conference last week, he pronounced that all UK electricity should be produced by “clean” sources by 2035.

It means Britain has 14 years to phase out all use of fossil fuels in the energy mix – a process that is already well underway with coal, but is stalling when it comes to gas, which remains the biggest single source of electricity generation.