"Net zero by 2050 is impossible," said Kemi Badenoch in her first big policy pitch to supporters since becoming Conservative leader. Britain simply doesn't have a workable plan to reach the emissions goal in the next quarter-century, and current policies will only drive up consumer energy costs.
The only way to regain the trust of lost voters is to tell the "unvarnished truth" on the matter, she said; net zero by 2050 "can't be achieved without a significant drop in our living standards or worse, by bankrupting us".
What did the commentators say?
Badenoch's pitch makes a "sharp break from years of political consensus on net zero", including from within her own party, said the BBC. The target was enshrined in law by former Conservative PM Theresa May in 2019. This legacy "does not appear to carry much political clout in 2025", said James Heale in The Spectator. Badenoch's calculation is that while Tory voters may profess support for green policies in the polls, in reality "they are much less willing to put their money where their mouth is". Just 5% would accept tax hikes for climate policies, according to research by think tank Onward. For Badenoch, climate change exists, "but tackling it is just one competing priority". Voters also want "cheap energy".
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Announcing such a "defensive" policy as her first big pitch suggests the Tories' priority is trying to "fight off the challenge from Nigel Farage" rather than "win the next election", said John Rentoul in The Independent.
But while Badenoch "seems to think she has lobbed a grenade into the sanctimonious eco-consensus", said Gawain Towler in CapX, in actual fact "it may be a dud". That's because Badenoch is merely "slowing the Net Zero train" while "Reform wants to turn it around" completely.
What next?
Badenoch's is an approach already tried by former Tory PM Rishi Sunak, said Stephen Bush in the Financial Times. His "soft-core climate denial", in which he "theoretically committed to meeting net zero targets" but with "watered down measures", ultimately failed.
Rather than risk "looking a bit mad" by railing against a target that still commands popular support, Badenoch would find more success "attacking Labour's incompetence" over failing to meet these targets over the course of the next parliament; a more likely scenario than this government suddenly becoming "known for its climate radicalism".
-
What a rising gold price says about the global economyThe Explainer Institutions, central banks and speculators drive record surge amid ‘loss of trust’ in bond markets and US dollar
-
‘Laughing stock’: Anthony Joshua’s £140m bout with Jake PaulTalking Point Boxing fans have expressed concerns the YouTuber may not survive the fight with British heavyweight
-
A dreamy skiing adventure in NisekoThe Week Recommends Light, deep, dry snow and soothing hot springs are drawing skiers to Japan’s northernmost island
-
Morgan McSweeney: has he lost control of Keir Starmer’s No. 10?In the Spotlight Downing Street chief of staff is under pressure again after a reported ‘shouty’ row with Wes Streeting
-
Newsom slams Trump’s climate denial at COP30speed read Trump, who has called climate change a ‘hoax,’ declined to send any officials to this week’s summit
-
Alaska faces earth-shaking loss as seismic monitoring stations shutterIN THE SPOTLIGHT NOAA cuts have left the western seaboard without a crucial resource to measure, understand and predict tsunamis
-
‘Security is no longer a function only of missiles and fighter jets’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
‘This is where adaptation enters’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Will the public buy Rachel Reeves’s tax rises?Today’s Big Question The Chancellor refused to rule out tax increases in her televised address, and is set to reverse pledges made in the election manifesto
-
Five takeaways from Plaid Cymru’s historic Caerphilly by-election winThe Explainer The ‘big beasts’ were ‘humbled’ but there was disappointment for second-placed Reform too
-
Western Alaska reels as storm aftermath prompts mass evacuationsUNDER THE RADAR Alaskan lawmakers point to climate change as airlifts relocate hundreds from coastal communities devastated by the remnants of Typhoon Halong
