What planet are the Tories on? Because this one is dying

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As North America, Europe, and China experience record-high temperatures, the UK government has made it cheaper for companies to pollute (AP)

We learned in today’s Independent that the former home secretary Dame Priti Patel has called on ministers to pause Britain’s net zero targets, warning that voters are being left behind in the pursuit of green policies.

The argument that she and other like-minded individuals in her party espouse, is the fear that costs will be driven up for households already struggling with spiralling inflation.

She speaks as if the steps that would lead the UK to achieve its net zero target by 2050 are somehow cosmetic frivolities that could be and should be dispensed within the interim period. This line of thinking assumes that the UK’s economy will rapidly bounce back post-Brexit, post-Covid-19, and amid the Russian war with Ukraine. These issues have already had a huge impact on our economy, and experts have predicted an ongoing diminishment of 4 per cent on the UK’s gross GDP for the foreseeable future.