A Tory MP has called for an “election” on Wednesday as Rishi Sunak is expected to roll back on his commitments with climate change.
The Prime Minister is to make an announcement at 4.30 on Wednesday and it is thought Sunak will row back on net zero policies.
This has sparked a Tory civil war as the move has split the party with outrage of the environmental section of the Conservatives.
Sunak has rowed back on the ban of petrol and diesel cars from 2030 by five years to 2035 which was put in place by Boris Johnson.
In June Zac Goldsmith quit as the Climate Minister from Sunak’s government and accused the Prime Minister of being “simply uninterested” in environmental issues and has called for “an election now.”
Goldsmith said, “I have had hundreds of messages from Conservative friends in Government, Parliament and around the world telling me this move by the PM vindicates my decision to noisily resign.
“I didn’t want vindication. I hoped it would add pressure on Government to prove me an others wrong. We need an election. Now.”
Johnson has called on the government not to falter after it emerged that Sunak is rolling back on his net zero commitments.
Johnson warned “we cannot afford to falter now or in any way lose our ambition for this country.
“Business must have certainty about our Net Zero commitments. This country leads on tackling climate change and in creating new green technology.
“The green Industrial Revolution is already generating huge numbers of high-quality jobs and helping to drive growth and level up our country.
“Business and industry – such as motor manufacturing – are rightly making vast investments in these new technologies.
“It is those investments that will produce a low carbon future – at lower costs for British families.
“It is crucial that we give those businesses confidence that government is still committed to Net Zero and can see the way ahead. We cannot afford to falter now or in any way lose our ambition for this country.”
Chris Skidmore, the Conservatives’ net zero champion, said Sunak’s changes will “potentially destabilise thousands of jobs and see investment go elsewhere.”
He added, “Ultimately, the people who will pay the price for this will be householders, whose bills will remain higher as a result of inefficient fossil fuels and being dependent on volatile international fossil fuel prices.”
