The Conservatives have scrapped their commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with party leader Kemi Badenoch declaring the target “impossible” to achieve.
Delivering a speech on party policy renewal on Tuesday, Badenoch criticised the previous Conservative government for setting the ambitious goal without a detailed plan. She said that the net zero policy has driven up energy costs without delivering meaningful progress.
“In 2019, Parliament legislated for net zero by 2050—a multi-trillion-pound, 30-year project touching every single aspect of our lives—decided in 90 minutes without a single vote. Only two MPs raised concerns that day. I was one of them,” she said.
Badenoch said she had repeatedly asked for a credible plan, only to be presented with one after 840 days, which she described as insufficient.
“So much so that environmental bodies are taking the government to court and winning because there isn’t enough detail,” she added.
Economic Burdens and Energy Security
Labour’s net zero policy retained some elements of Conservative policies, such as the 2050 target, but also marked a significant shift in priorities, pace, and approach.
Labour’s biggest departure from Tory policy is the creation of Great British Energy, a publicly owned company to invest in clean energy projects.
Under Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the government has also committed to decarbonising the UK electricity grid by 2030, five years earlier than the Conservative target of 2035. Labour believes the policy will will lower household energy bills and create thousands of jobs.
However, Badenoch argued that pursuing net zero at the current pace would be economically damaging, forcing families to bear enormous costs. She pointed to the energy sector as an example of the unintended consequences of past policies.
“We have effectively built two systems of electricity generation—one based on renewables and one for when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow.
“The result? The highest electricity bills in the developed world,” she said.
The government is also pushing for faster expansion of wind, solar, and tidal power, as well as international partnerships, with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband emphasising cooperation with countries like China to advance green technology and emission reductions.
Badenoch warned of increasing reliance on China for key green energy components.
New Energy Strategy
Under Rishi Sunak, the Conservative government maintained the UK’s 2050 net zero target but slowed down key green commitments, arguing that a balance was needed between environmental goals and economic concerns.
One of his most controversial decisions was the delayed ban on petrol and diesel car sales, pushing the deadline back from 2030 to 2035 to ease costs for consumers and businesses. Similarly, Sunak extended boiler replacement targets and reduced financial burdens related to home insulation and heat pump installations.
Sunak also granted new North Sea oil and gas licenses, arguing that domestic fossil fuel production was necessary for energy security and to reduce reliance on imports.
Badenoch has tasked a Conservative policy team, led by shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho and shadow Scotland secretary Andrew Bowie, with developing a new energy strategy.The team will look into how to deliver cheap and clean energy without “bankrupting businesses, without eye-watering bills for households, and without dependencies on hostile or unstable countries.”
Badenoch insisted she is not abandoning environmental commitments but wants a more pragmatic approach.
“I want a better future and a better environment for our children, but we have to get real,” Badenoch said.
Opposition and Political Fallout
The announcement has sparked criticism from the Conservative Environment Network, a Tory environmental group.Sam Hall, head of the group, called the decision to abandon the 2050 net zero target a “mistake,” adding that it undermines the “environmental legacy of successive Conservative governments.”
He stressed that the target is based on scientific reality, rather than optimism, warning that without it, the consequences and costs of climate change would only escalate.
“The Tory leader’s position is at odds with her own historic views. In government, she openly championed net zero. It’s clear the Conservatives stand for nothing and have learned absolutely no lessons. They haven’t changed,” the spokesperson added.
Officials from Reform UK, known for its opposition to net zero, have also weighed in on the announcement. Reform leader Nigel Farage questioned the timing of the announcement.
“Kemi is fooling no-one on net zero. If she truly believes it will bankrupt the country, why didn’t she voice her opposition sooner?” he said on X.
