Green groups have criticised the Chancellor for “tinkering at the edges” of the net zero transition in his autumn statement by failing to announce enough bold reforms.
In the spring Budget, Jeremy Hunt said he would respond to the US Inflation Reduction Act and the EU’s Green Deal, which are both aimed at stimulating domestic investment in renewable industries such as electric car manufacturing.
Last week the Treasury said it was investing £4.5 billion into UK manufacturing, which includes funding for developing zero emissions vehicles and clean energy manufacturing, and used the majority of the autumn statement to set out cuts to tax and national insurance ahead of an expected election next year.
Mr Hunt said the Government would improve access to the electricity grid by changing planning laws to allow more cables and pylons to be installed, with households living near the new infrastructure offered up to £10,000 for the inconvenience.
With crucial UN climate talks less than a week away, there was little in this statement to boost the UK’s rapidly evaporating credibility on climate change— Mike Childs, Friends of the Earth
He told MPs on Wednesday: “These measures will cut grid access delays by 90% and offer up to £10,000 off electricity bills over 10 years for those living closest to new transmission infrastructure.
“Taken together these planning and grid reforms are estimated to accelerate around £90 billion of additional business investment over the next 10 years.”
Environmentalists said investing in cleaner transport, retrofitting homes to make them more energy efficient and switching to renewable power generation faster would achieve the growth the Chancellor wants to see.
Friends of the Earth’s head of policy, Mike Childs, said: “With crucial UN climate talks less than a week away, there was little in this statement to boost the UK’s rapidly evaporating credibility on climate change.
“There was cold comfort for the millions of households bracing themselves for yet another winter in damp, freezing homes that they can’t afford to heat.
“Yet again the Chancellor was silent on the need for a national drive to insulate homes – the most significant measure to reduce sky-high energy bills.”
Ofgem, the energy regulator, is expected to raise the price cap on consumer bills on Thursday, resulting in higher costs for households come January.
Peter Chalkley, director at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, welcomed Mr Hunt’s announcements on improving grid access and support for clean energy manufacturing but bemoaned the lack of attention on improving energy efficiency in homes, especially after the Government recently abandoned its requirement for landlords to upgrade their properties.
Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer said: “The Government has chosen headline-grabbing pre-election tax cut bribes over doing their job properly – providing good public services and protecting citizens from harm caused by the cost-of-living crisis and the climate crisis.
The Chancellor is completely out of step with the reality people are facing up and down this country— Rebecca Newsom, Greenpeace UK
“The country cannot afford pre-election tax cut bribes from this failed Tory Government.
“They mean postponing, yet again, the action we need to tackle the climate crisis – action that would create new, secure, well-paid green jobs.”
Rebecca Newsom, head of politics at Greenpeace UK, said a vast scale-up of renewable energy, insulation and greener transport would boost the economy and save people money.
She added: “The Chancellor is completely out of step with the reality people are facing up and down this country.
“Today we needed to see bold leadership and a big vision for a green industrial strategy but all we got was tinkering at the edges.
“These small reforms will do nothing to tackle the scale of the problems our economy and climate face.”
Jeff Knott, director of policy and advocacy at the RSPB, said the lack of any announcement for investment in UK nature makes it more difficult to restore the wildlife that has been destroyed over the centuries.
He said: “The natural world underpins everything in our lives, including the economy, and there is strong evidence to show that investing in nature improves our long-term economic performance.
“This was a chance for Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to prove that the UK Government is committed to promises made to protect and restore 30% of our land and sea by 2030.
“We’re already one of the most nature-depleted countries on the planet and political inaction is helping push our natural world to the brink.
“We urgently need all our politicians to speak up and act. Nature can’t wait any longer.”
