YESTERDAY, the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak set out the Government’s new “pragmatic” approach to reaching Net Zero by 2050 in a way which doesn’t penalise hard-working people with extra financial costs says Harlow MP Robert Halfon.

Mr Halfon said: “Readers of Your Harlow will know that I have always worked hard to protect our green spaces and cut down our pollution and littering in our towns and villages.

However, I have always been clear that we must not balance the need to cherish our planet on the backs of hard-working people. For too long, decisions made around reaching Net Zero have been about wishful thinking with very little consideration given to the impacts that policy changes have on people’s lives, and the significant cost of living challenges they face. 

The Prime Minister has taken a courageous step forward and set out a clear list of policies which will ensure the UK remains on track to meet our green commitments. But, most importantly, easing the financial burdens on people from Harlow, and up and down the country. We will:

1. Ease the transition to Electric Vehicles to 2035 in line with other countries. By 2030 the vast majority of cars sold will be electric but the upfront costs are still high for families who are struggling with the cost of living and it should be the consumer, not the Government, who make that choice.
2. Give people more time to switch to Heat Pumps saving the average household £10,000. We will not force households to rip out their existing boiler – they will only have to install a heat pump when the time comes to replace their boiler, and even then, only after 2035.
3. Increase Boiler Upgrade grants by 50% to £7,500 to support people who want to make this transition now. 
4. Ensuring energy-efficiency requirements are affordable. Under current plans, some home-owners faced a cost of £8,000 to upgrade in just three years’ time. The Government will continue to subsidise energy efficiency programmes to help reduce bills, but it will not force any household to do so. 
5. No rules on carpooling, seven different bins, more expensive meat and no new taxes on flying. 
6. Investment in green skills like apprenticeships. In Harlow, this means the £12 million investment in our Advanced Manufacturing Centre and £100,000 investment in the new Renewable Energy Training Centre in Harlow College which will support 12,800 jobs. 
7. Meet our commitment to plant 75,000 acres of trees which creates 30,000 jobs and contributes £2 billion to the economy.

It is really important to remember that we remain committed to reaching Net Zero by 2050, and that we will meet all our targets set at the recent Climate Change Conferences in Glasgow and Paris to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. With our new approach we can do this because over the last ten years, we have over-delivered on our targets. For example, we have had the fastest reductions in emissions in the G7 with carbon emissions down by almost 50% since 1990. 

As the Prime Minister rightly said, all fair-minded people believe in the role we have to play to tackle climate change, but this must be credible, bring people with us, and be done in such a way that is transparent and does not unfairly penalise hard-working families to gain short-term political points. 

“Whilst Labour have said they want to spend £28 billion of hard-pressed tax-payers money on green white elephants which financially hurt many Your Harlow readers, our way forward is fair, affordable, and will absolutely build a greener future for Harlow’s young people”.