Reports: PM to legally commit UK to net zero by 2050 before leaving office

Is the PM on the cusp of formally adopting a UK net zero goal? | Credit: Arno Mikkor (EU2017EE)

Theresa May will push back against cost warnings and bring in net zero emissions goal before her successor takes over in Downing Street, reports suggest

The Prime Minister will set in law a target for the UK to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 before she leaves office, although she is unlikely to bring forward any new policy or detailed action plan for achieving the goal, according to reports.

As recommended by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) in its landmark report last month, Theresa May is set to announce a net zero goal for 2050 and could do so as soon as next week, in a move the government expects to garner broad parliamentary support, reports The Independent.

It follows similar reports in the Financial Times on Wednesday suggesting May is looking to push the target through before she steps down as PM, as she seeks to secure a legacy for her time in office beyond her defeated Brexit plan.

However, reports also suggest she is unlikely to deliver any detailed net zero policy or new funding, prompting concerns the legal target could lack teeth and fail to bind her successor into taking necessary rapid steps to put the UK on a path to full decarbonisation by the middle of the century.

It comes amid warnings today from EU auditors that the UK and five other nations are likely to miss renewable energy targets for 2020, unless "significant action" is taken. 

The CCC has also made clear that any new net zero emissions target must be backed by long-term policy commitments and clarity over plans, particularly for decarbonising hard to reach areas, such as home heating, agriculture and transport.

Meanwhile, following warnings from Chancellor Philip Hammond that achieving the net zero goal could cost the UK in excess of £1tr over the next 30 years, May is under pressure to agree to an "explicit review point" allowing future governments to reconsider the net zero goal if other countries around the world fail to match the UK's ambition.

However, The Independent report suggests May will push on with introducing a new net zero goal "without caveats", despite the Chancellor's intervention, which attracted fierce criticism from businesses and green groups.

CBI chief economist Rain Newton-Smith yesterday hit back at Hammond's cost concerns, and stressed that UK plc remained steadfast in its backing for a 2050 net zero goal.

Number 10 would neither confirm nor deny whether the PM would be committing the UK to a new net zero target before she leaves office, but a spokesman told BusinessGreen that formal adoption of the target was "not a matter of if, but when".

"We committed to legislating for net zero back in 2016 so we commissioned the report by the CCC to shape our progress," the Number 10 spokesman said. "We strongly welcomed the report and we will be formally responding as soon as possible and make any announcement on next steps as soon as we can."

Meanwhile, in a bid to force the issue, Labour MP Rachel Reeves will introduce a Bill to Parliament on Tuesday that would commit the government to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

The chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee also urged the governemtn to come forward with the policies, actions and regulations needed to decarbonise the economy.

"In the UK we have a golden opportunity to deliver environmental benefits, new jobs, and sustainable green industries, but this won't happen without a co-ordinated, cross-departmental effort from government and a cast-iron commitment to achieving a net-zero target," said Reeves. "In presenting this Bill, I want to bring home to the government the urgent need to commit to the net-zero 2050 target and give the UK the best possible chance of meeting this challenge."

Businesses have repeatedly urged the government to formally adopt a net zero goal, which would be one of the most ambitious climate targets of any major economy in the world.

Keith Anderson, CEO of energy giant Scottish Power, today said the UK needed "to show leadership as a country, as businesses and individuals to deliver net zero and tackle the climate emergency".

Nick Molho, executive director of green business member organisation the Aldersgate Group, also welcomed news the UK was on the cusp of setting a net zero goal, but stressed that work would need to start immediately on delivering the crucial policies to provide business certainty to help make it happen.

The majority of candidates in the Conservative leadership race, including current frontrunner Boris Johnson, have signalled they would support a net zero emission target.