Sunak in a Muddle on Net Zero

Ahead of his appearance at the COP28 summit, Rishi Sunak ensured Britons sceptical of the net zero agenda that “I’m not in hock to ideological zealots on this topic.” Then, speaking before his international counterparts, the prime minister stressed that “the world is just not moving fast enough,” adding:

We all need to do more. (Emphasis added)

This is typical of Sunak’s approach to net zero. Knowing how unpopular the drive is among a large portion of the electorate, and among many of his own MPs, the Tory leader tried in September to create the impression he was U-turning on his climate commitments. But, as we demonstrated here, a look below the surface of his rhetoric revealed that the alleged reversal was no big deal; that, in his own words, he still sees climate change as “one of the biggest challenges we face,” meaning “we must reduce our emissions.”

Soon after, as the party’s spin doctors led the papers into believing that the government was “watering down” its net zero commitments, the prime minister made the issue a key focus of the King’s Speech, a ceremonial address in which the monarch reads out the government’s main objectives. In this, voters who bothered to listen were told that the Tories are not just committed to net zero but will “continue to lead action on tackling climate change” (emphasis added).

Sunak further hammered this message home during his speech at COP28. He said:

Let me be clear, the UK is totally committed to Net Zero, the Paris Agreement, and to keeping 1.5 alive.

That’s why we’ve decarbonised faster than any other major economy.

Our 2030 target means the deepest cuts of any major emitter, and we’re determined to deliver.

His added insistence that this will be achieved thanks to a “pragmatic new approach” is unlikely to console many. Instead, Sunak’s efforts to please everyone on Britain’s climate commitments are likely to please no one.