When former Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May signed the UK’s 2050 net zero target into law in 2019, it passed through parliament with the support of all major parties.
But that political consensus has since fragmented. The term “net zero” is often used by critics to attack environmental targets, which they claim are being put ahead of economic goals.
Labour Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he is “determined” to meet the 2050 deadline, a policy also backed by the Liberal Democrats.
Meanwhile, the Green Party wants net zero “as soon as possible, and more than a decade ahead of 2050”.
These parties argue that it’s in the UK’s economic interest to move away from fossil fuels, which can be volatile in price. Supplies can also be interrupted by international events like the US-Israel war on Iran.
But the Conservatives and Reform UK want to scrap the UK’s net zero target, calling the current plans costly and unachievable.
They argue that, in isolation, the UK’s efforts make little difference to climate change, not least because UK emissions are much smaller than those of countries like China and the US.
The SNP has targeted net zero by 2045 for Scotland, while Plaid Cymru has introduced a 2040 deadline in Wales.
