Rishi Sunak selling poppies at Westminster station on Thursday
(Picture: PA)Rishi Sunak is “absolutely committed” to Britain reaching net zero by 2050, a minister said on Thursday amid questions over the Government’s resolve to improve the environment.
Climate change minister Graham Stuart also warned of the “potentially catastrophic consequences” of allowing global temperatures to rise by more than 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels.
The Prime Minister’s focus on Britain maintaining a leading role in the battle against climate change was thrown into doubt by his initial decision not to attend the COP27 summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh, Environment Secretary Therese Coffey dismissing it as “just a gathering of people in Egypt”, and the Government failing to meet a deadline to publish new eco-targets.
But Mr Stuart stressed that Mr Sunak would now be attending the summit where he would be “championing” the issues driven forward at the COP26 summit in Glasgow last autumn.
He told Times Radio: “We are the first country in the world to bring in a comprehensive climate act and to legislate for net zero.
“It’s an absolute commitment of this Conservative government, of this Prime Minister.”
He added: “We need the rest of the world to follow because, if they don’t, increasing scientific reports suggest we are going to miss 1.5 degrees and could be at 2.8 with potentially catastrophic consequences.
“Egypt will not be on the same scale and significance as Glasgow but it’s all about a focus on delivery.
“We are looking to make sure that these pledges convert into action because the science says that we are not on track globally for 1.5 degrees, we need to keep it in sight.
“The big thing is whether we can make a big difference on things like forests, on zero emission vehicles, building on the breakthrough agenda which we launched in Glasgow which is looking at specific industrial segments, and trying to move it there.”
Controversially, he also argued that boosting oil and gas production in the North Sea at “even higher” environmental standards, rather than importing this energy, was “compatible with and in fact a fundamental part of delivering our pathway to net zero”.
The details of Mr Sunak’s programme for Government were thrown up in the air on Wednesday when No10 announced that there would be an “across-the-board” review of the pledges he made during the Tory leadership battle to assess whether they are still “deliverable”.
The Prime Minister’s press secretary said the move reflected the way the economic situation has changed since the summer when Mr Sunak lost out to Liz Truss in the race to succeed Boris Johnson.
“We are looking at all the campaign pledges and we are looking at whether it is the right time to take them forward,” she said.
“We need to take some time to make sure what is deliverable and what is possible and we are engaging with stakeholders and with the relevant secretaries of state as well.
“Obviously those are pledges that were made a few months ago now. The context, particularly economically, has changed significantly since that time.”
She also said that Mr Sunak was committed to the promise of the Tory 2019 election manifesto, but stopped short of saying he was committed to the detailed pledges in it.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Sunak sought to reassure Tory MPs that he remained committed to a 10-point plan he set out during the campaign for tackling the migrant crisis, which included an annual limit on the number of refugees the country accepted.
In response to a question from Conservative Scott Benton, the Prime Minister said: “I know this issue is rightly a priority for him, it’s a priority for his constituents and I can reassure them that it is a priority for me and this Government too.
“Whether it’s the (Nationality) and Borders Act or the further measures we are planning to take, we will defend our borders, stop the illegal crossings and ensure that there is fairness and compassion in our system.”
The Prime Minister’s press secretary said afterwards that while the pledges on migration would form part of the review, Mr Sunak remained “committed to the sentiment of them”.
“Tackling illegal migration and control of our borders is a promise we made in the 2019 (general election) manifesto and we need to ensure that that is delivered,” she said.
In the Commons, Mr Sunak also came under pressure from the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford to say whether he stood by commitments he made as Chancellor to raise benefits in line with inflation and to maintain the pensions triple lock.
The Prime Minister said it would not be right to comment on individual policy measures before Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement on November 17.
“I think everyone knows we do face a challenging economic outlook and difficult decisions will need to be made,” he said.
“What I would say is that we will always, as my track record as Chancellor demonstrates, have fairness and compassion at the heart of everything we do.”
