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Rishi Sunak:

Photo: DANIEL LEAL / AFP

The British government apparently wants to announce far-reaching plans to soften climate protection targets this week. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday evening that the previous governments had "not been honest about the costs and disadvantages" of green policies. They would have chosen the easy way and said you could have anything. Therefore, in the coming days, he will present an "important long-term decision" on the country's plans to achieve net-zero emissions.

Sunak left open the question of what the goals were. His statement on Tuesday evening, however, was extremely unusual by British standards and followed a recent report by the BBC, according to which Sunak wanted to postpone the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by five years and not come into force until 2035. This will be part of a speech by Sunak, which will include a softening of several government measures to reduce greenhouse gases, the broadcaster had reported.

Sunak said he would announce a decision he had to make to make Britain the place it wanted for its children. The country is committed to the net zero target by 2050 and international agreements – but it will do so in a "better and more appropriate way". In an initial reaction to the BBC report, Sunak's office said the government's approach "will always be pragmatic and ensure that the costs are not passed on to hard-working families."

There has recently been growing concern among environmental activists that, in view of the upcoming general elections next year, Sunak sees the withdrawal of some green measures as an opportunity to win over swing voters. It would be a remarkable about-face for Britain, which until recently was a self-proclaimed leader in climate policy.

Some members of Sunak's Conservatives had recently said that climate policy was an area where they could draw a clear dividing line with the Labour Party. The Conservatives, who are behind Labour in the polls, had unexpectedly won the election of the old seat in parliament of ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the summer – according to observers, also because they had spoken out against the decision of the Labour mayor of London to expand an environmental zone in the city.

The current goal of no longer selling new combustion cars from 2030 was set almost three years ago as a central component of then-Prime Minister Johnson's plans for a "green revolution". It was only in July that the minister responsible, Michael Gove, reaffirmed the Sunak government's support for this policy.

According to the BBC, Sunak's speech will also call on other countries to bear more of the burden of climate change.

phw/Reuters