The move sparked opposition from politicians -- many in his own party -- environmentalists and industry.
- Petrol cars sale ban -
Previous prime minister Boris Johnson set a 2030 deadline for the ban on selling petrol and diesel cars, but Sunak announced Wednesday that the date was being pushed back.
"You'll still be able to buy petrol and diesel cars and vans until 2035, even after that you'll still be able to buy and sell them second-hand," he said.
"We're aligning our approach with countries like Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Australia, Canada, Sweden, and US states such as California, New York and Massachusetts," he added.
- Replacing gas boilers -
The government had a target of installing 600,000 heat pumps -- which draw warmth from outside air and run on electricity -- per year by 2028, as part of a wider plan to phase out the installation of new gas boilers by 2035.
But Sunak said Wednesday that "we will give people far more time to make the necessary transition" and that the government "will never force anyone to rip out their existing boiler and replace it with a heat pump".
Instead, households will only have to make the switch when replacing their boiler, and not until 2035.
Households that cannot afford the estimated 10,000 pounds ($12,416, 11,566 euros) cost will "never have to switch at all", he added.
Cash grants for households to replace their boilers will also be increased by 50 percent to 7,500 pounds.
- Household efficiency -
Landlords wanting to rent out properties were only going to be allowed to do so after 2028 if they hit certain energy efficiency ratings, but Sunak said those plans would now be "scrapped".
"While we will continue to subsidise energy efficiency, we will never force any household to do it," he said.
- Green incentives -
In a bid to reach the 2050 net zero target, Sunak announced a 150 million pounds fellowship to help scientists and engineers develop green technologies.
He also announced reforms to the planning process for new energy and grid infrastructure projects.
UK backtracks on net zero policies
London (AFP) Sept 20, 2023 -
Britain will soften policies aimed at achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and instead pursue a "pragmatic" approach to hitting the target, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Wednesday.
"We can adopt a more pragmatic, proportionate and realistic approach to meeting net zero," Sunak told a news conference, saying a ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars would be pushed back from 2030 to 2035.
That would bring it in line with countries such as France and Germany, he said.
The prime minister also announced an easing of energy efficiency targets for rental properties and backtracked on plans to make homeowners replace gas boilers with heat pumps.
The move comes amid growing concern over the potential financial cost of the government's net zero pledge.
A general election is expected next year and Sunak's Conservative Party is trailing in the polls behind the Labour opposition amid a cost-of-living crisis that has seen food and housing costs spiral.
The narrow win by a Conservative candidate in a west London by-election in July -- largely put down to a campaign against the expansion of a vehicle pollution toll zone in the capital by Labour mayor Sadiq Khan -- triggered calls within the party to rethink climate commitments.
- 'I believe in net zero' -
Stressing that "no one can doubt" the reality of climate change, Sunak said he was a firm believer both in net zero and the UK's ability to achieve it.
But he added that "too often motivated by short-term thinking, politicians have taken the easy way out, telling people the bits they want to hear, and not necessarily always the bits they need to hear.
"We haven't had an honest conversation about these issues in a long time. It's not enough to just announce these targets -- great headlines in the short term -- to will this thing to happen. That's not right," he said.
The UK had leeway to ease targets as it had achieved "the fastest reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the G7", he argued.
But the rethink sparked anger among opposition lawmakers, environmental campaigners, the car industry and some Conservative MPs, setting up a possible rift in Sunak's party.
Greenpeace campaigner Georgia Whitaker said the announcement "flies in the face of not just what we need in terms of climate science, but actually what the public really want.
"The UK was leading on climate policies, we were leading since COP26 a couple of years ago and it's really devastating to see our prime minister roll back on his previous commitments," she told AFP.
In July, Sunak approved hundreds of new oil and gas licences in the North Sea off Britain's east coast, angering environmentalists.
Former prime minister and net zero proponent Boris Johnson warned that "we cannot afford to falter now or in any way lose our ambition for this country", while COP26 president and Conservative lawmaker Alok Sharma added that "for any party to resile from this agenda will not help economically or electorally."
Reports suggested that some MPs may even be preparing letters of no confidence in protest.
- 'Complete farce' -
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas called the move "economically illiterate, historically inaccurate and environmentally bone-headed" while Ed Miliband, Labour's spokesman for energy, said it was a "complete farce from a Tory government that literally does not know what they are doing day to day."
Criticism also came from industry, with Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, saying the UK should be a "leader in zero emission mobility" but "clear, consistent" messaging is required from the government for consumers to want to switch to electric vehicles.
"Confusion and uncertainty will only hold them back," Hawes added.
The City of London Corporation, the governing body of the City of London that is home to much of the UK's financial sector, offered guarded support, saying the government "is right to explore how we deliver solutions within a fiscally constrained environment."
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