Climate change used to be that rarest of things in British politics – an issue over which there was broad interparty consensus. That consensus saw Ed Miliband oversee the passing of the Climate Change Act in 2008, committing the UK to an 80 % reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; Theresa May enshrining of the target of net zero in law; and Boris Johnson going further still, increasing the target for 2030 reductions to 68%.
But recently we have seen a divergence from this consensus, with Rishi Sunak pushing back the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK from 2030 to 2035.
In this episode, the Experts team drill down into this changing landscape. What do voters think about Sunak’s changes? How is Labour going to respond? What are the key steps to achieving net zero? And what are the economic costs involved?
Participants
Paul Johnson
Paul has been the Director of the IFS since 2011. He is also currently visiting professor in the Department of Economics at University College London.
Anand Menon
Anand is director of the UK in a Changing Europe a unique initiative funded by the Economic and Social Science Research Council that aims to make the findings of social scientific research available and accessible to all non-academic audiences interested in Brexit, the Brexit process and its implications.
Hannah White
Hannah has extensive knowledge of Westminster and Whitehall based on two decades of experience. Before joining the IfG in 2015, she ran the Committee on Standards in Public Life in the Cabinet Office, and was a senior clerk in the House of Commons.
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