PRIME Minister Rishi Sunak has announced a change in some key green policies, recommitting the UK to Net Zero by 2050.
A ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars will be moved back to 2035 and new policies forcing landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of their properties will be scrapped.
The ban on new fossil fuel boilers for certain households will be delayed while cash grants for boiler upgrade schemes will increase by 50% to £7,500 for those who want to transition now.
The UK has set a target to reduce carbon emissions by 68% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels – setting a target of 77% for 2035.
Among the Government’s revised plans are the intention to:
· Move back the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by five years, so all sales of new cars from 2035 will be zero emission;
· Delay the ban on installing oil and LPG boilers, and new coal heating, for off-gas-grid homes to 2035, instead of phasing them out from 2026;
· Set an exemption to the phase out of fossil fuel boilers, including gas, in 2035;
· Scrap policies to force landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of their properties; and
· Raise the Boiler Upgrade Grant by 50% to £7,500 to help households who want to replace their gas boilers with a low-carbon alternative like a heat pump.
Mr Sunak has also disbanded the Energy Efficiency Taskforce, which was set up in March.