Nigel Farage has called for a referendum on the government’s net-zero target.
The former UKIPer compared commitments to climate action to the “European question” on his GB News show “because it has been imposed on people without any public discussion”.
He said there is “no difference between the political parties on any of this stuff” and that we need “open debate” in Westminster around the Paris Agreement.
“It is a little bit like the European question. Everybody agrees and you’re not allowed to have you say,” Farage added.
New Brexit culture war
Writing in the Telegraph today Ben Wright warned that ‘net zero’ could become the new Brexit culture war if we’re not careful.
He said “consensus can be dangerous if it breeds complacency”, pointing out that “many supporters of EU membership thought the benefits were self-evident.”
“Net-zero can similarly be presented as a set of policies with clear costs and abstract benefits being imposed by out-of-touch metropolitan experts,” Wright argued.
Net Zero Scrutiny Group
Rows over climate targets within the UK government have seen the Net Zero Scrutiny Group aggressively linking the cost-of-living crisis to the carbon reduction agenda.
A number of ministers have expressed concern that the pace of the planned switch to renewable energy is too fast and is increasing costs for consumers.
They believe Britain should use more of its own gas in the short-term.
Last month it was announced that energy bills will rise by almost £700 from April – an increase of more than 50 per cent and the largest on record.
Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, unveiled a £9billion bailout in response, which will see rebates of £200 for all bills and a £150 council tax cut for those in less expensive homes, to help households cope with the unprecedented rise.
However, a controversial green energy levy, which will add £153 a year to the average bill from April, has been kept.
Aggressive
Speaking to The Telegraph, one minister said the UK “should not be running towards net zero so aggressively”, describing the 2050 pledge as one of the “most aggressive targets in the world”.
“We’ve stigmatised gas, and that’s wrong,” the minister said. “Gas has to be part of the answer.”
Another Cabinet minister told the newspaper: “The priority should be the cost of living – 2050 is a long way away, and our own gas is a valuable transition fuel in the meantime.”
That view is understood to be shared by at least another two Cabinet ministers.
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