The Tory leader has already promised to scrap the UK’s net zero target, but scrapping the 2008 Act would go further still. It would end the system of five-year “carbon budgets”, remove binding long-term climate obligations on governments, and abolish the independent Climate Change Committee, which advises ministers on meeting emissions targets.
Speaking ahead of the Conservative party conference this weekend, Badenoch said:
“Under my leadership we will scrap those failed targets. Our priority now is growth, cheaper energy, and protecting the natural landscapes we all love.”
She promised instead to introduce “an energy strategy that puts cheap and reliable energy as the foundation for economic growth”.
Expert backlash
Climate experts and economists strongly criticised the announcement. They warned that doubling down on fossil fuels would leave the UK more vulnerable to global price shocks, such as the surge in oil and gas costs after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which forced the government to spend £40bn subsidising energy bills.
Bob Ward, policy director at the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics, said:
“The claim that keeping Britain dependent on fossil fuels is good for economic growth is demonstrably false. Our dependence causes high energy bills for households and businesses and escalating costs from climate impacts.”
Michael Grubb, professor of energy at University College London, added:
“Business values clarity and certainty within a firm legal framework. Scrapping a far-sighted Act passed with overwhelming cross-party consensus runs against economic and environmental realities.”
James Alexander, chief executive of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association, which represents institutions managing £19tn in assets, warned that dismantling the law would send “damaging signals” to markets and jeopardise jobs.
“The green economy is the second-fastest growing sector globally. We cannot afford to dismantle this landmark law.”
Political fallout
The UK has halved its emissions since 1990, largely thanks to the Climate Change Act, and polls show strong public support for climate action across the political spectrum.
Labour’s energy secretary, Ed Miliband, condemned the announcement:
“This desperate policy would be an economic disaster and a betrayal of future generations. It would scrap a framework that businesses campaigned for and that has secured tens of billions in investment in homegrown British energy.”
Badenoch’s stance ends a three-decade consensus among Britain’s major parties to strengthen, not weaken, climate action.
