Conservative Leader Pledges Climate Change Act Repeal Amid Economic Claims

Kemi Badenoch, Leader of the Opposition, announced this week that a future Conservative government would repeal the Climate Change Act of 2008 if the party wins a majority at the next General Election. The announcement, made in an interview with The Spectator magazine, follows her February statement that under her leadership, the party would abandon the UK’s statutory “net zero” emissions target.

The decision marks a significant shift in Conservative climate policy and contradicts positions Badenoch herself held while serving as a minister in Boris Johnson’s government. Her announcement included several contested claims about the economic impact of climate policies and Britain’s international climate position.

“The Act mandates targets to hit net zero by 2050, which leads to higher costs,” Badenoch stated. However, this assertion contradicts recent analysis from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which found that the total net cost to the economy of reaching net zero emissions would be £116 billion between 2025 and 2050, averaging £4.46 billion per year.

The OBR analysis also shows that projected savings from reduced fossil fuel costs would increase steadily each year, resulting in net annual savings from 2041 onward, reaching £38 billion by 2050. By 2055, total savings would exceed total costs, even without accounting for benefits from avoided climate impacts.

Badenoch acknowledged climate change is “very obviously happening” but claimed ministers “have to do lots of stupid things just to hit the target, even if they are not cutting worldwide emissions or even if we can’t afford them or they’re impractical.”

This position contrasts with statements she made as Exchequer to the Treasury in 2020-21. Speaking in Parliament in September 2021, Badenoch promoted the government’s “Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution,” telling MPs: “The Prime Minister’s 10-point plan demonstrates our commitment to net zero. It sets out £12 billion of new Government investment in green industries.”

Among those points was a pledge for 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028 – a target Badenoch now describes as “impractical.”

The UK has reduced its annual greenhouse gas emissions by 54.2% compared to 1990 levels while growing its GDP by 82.8%. Other G7 nations have also made progress, with Germany reducing emissions by 45.4%, France by 28.8%, and Japan by 17.9%.

Lord Deben, former Chair of the UK Climate Change Committee and Conservative member of the House of Lords, strongly disputes Badenoch’s characterization of the Climate Change Act. He notes the legislation “was written by the Conservatives when in opposition” and passed with broad cross-party support.

Badenoch also expressed concern about “Labour’s failure to exploit Britain’s own energy assets such as North Sea oil and gas,” arguing “countries that have cheap energy are growing.” However, critics point out that North Sea resources are sold on international markets without discount to British consumers.

When natural gas prices spiked after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Conservative government spent £56.2 billion protecting consumers against rising energy costs, despite the UK meeting most of its demand through domestic production at the time.

The OBR has warned that in a “below 3°C scenario,” climate change impacts would reduce UK GDP by a growing amount over the next 50 years, reaching an estimated 7.8% below baseline projections by 2073-74, suggesting that abandoning climate policies could ultimately prove more costly than pursuing net zero targets.