Moronic Rishi Sunak announces watering down green policies

Rishi Sunak has confirmed he will be easing a series of green policies under a "new approach" designed to protect "hard-pressed British families" from "unacceptable costs". Delivering a speech from Downing Street, he said he is still committed to reaching net zero by 2050, but the transition can be done in a "fairer and better way". Announcing a raft of U-turns, the prime minister confirmed he will delay a ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by five years and a weakening of targets to phase out gas boilers. He also said a "worrying set of proposals" that had emerged during debates on net zero would be scrapped, including: For government to interfere in how many passengers you can have in your car To force you to have seven different bins in your home To make you change your diet and harm British farmers by taxing meat To create new taxes to discourage flying or going on holiday "Our destiny can be of our own choosing," Mr Sunak said - while calling for politicians to be "honest" about the costs of green policies on families. The measures have faced criticism from across the political spectrum as well as from businesses and environmental groups. He also said people would still be allowed to buy secondhand diesel and petrol cars after that date and this would align the UK's approach with countries across Europe, Canada and many US states. In weakening the plan to phase out gas boilers from 2035, Mr Sunak said households would "never" be forced to "rip-out their existing boiler and replace it with a heat pump". Now, this will only be required when people are due to change their boiler anyway and even then, not until 2035. To help households for whom that will be the hardest, he said an exception will be introduced so they would not have to make the change. And he said rather than banning boilers "before people can afford the alternative" the government is going to "support them to make the switch" by increasing the boiler upgrade scheme. He said: "The boiler upgrade scheme which gives people cash grants to upgrade their boiler will be increased by 50% to seven and a half thousand pounds. "There are no strings attached. The money will never need to be repaid." Landlord efficiency targets scrapped Mr Sunak has also scrapped plans to force landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of their properties, saying some property owners would have been forced to "make expensive upgrades" within two years time and that would inevitably impact renters. "You could be looking at a bill of £8,000, and even if you're only renting, you're more than likely see some of that passed on in higher rents," he said. "That's just wrong, so those plans will be scrapped. "While we will continue to subsidise energy efficiency, we'll never force any household to do it." 'Act of weakness' But Ed Miliband Labour's Shadow Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary, said: "Today is an act of weakness from a desperate, directionless prime minister, dancing to the tune of a small minority of his party. Liz Truss crashed the economy and Rishi Sunak is trashing our economic future. "Having delivered the worst cost of living crisis in generations, the prime minister today loads more costs onto the British people." Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said: "This is a prime minister who simply doesn't understand and cannot grasp for Britain the opportunities for jobs and our economy of driving forward with action on clean energy." There was also criticism from the card industry and energy industry. Chis Norbury, the chief executive of the E.ON energy firm, said it was a "false argument" that green policies can only come at a cost, arguing they deliver affordable energy while boosting jobs. He said companies wanting to invest in the UK need "long-term certainty" while communities now risk being condemned to "many more years of living in cold and draughty homes that are expensive to heat". Tory MPs split The announcement comes after last night's leak of the plans sparked a major backlash, with critics ranging from former Tory prime minister Boris Johnson to ex-vice president of the United States, Al Gore.. Mr Sunak was due to give the speech later this week but brought it forward following a hastily arranged cabinet meeting this morning. The move has triggered a huge row within the Conservative party. Tory MPs are split, with some seeing the row back on costly green policies as a vote winner and others fearing the impact it will have on business and the climate. Senior figures who have backed the prime minister include his predecessor Liz Truss, who said: "I welcome the delay on banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars as well as the delay on the ban on oil and gas boilers. This is particularly important for rural areas."