UKGBC responds to Kemi Badenoch's net zero speech

UKGBC responds to Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch's speech on the UK's 2050 net zero target.

In a speech today, Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader, said it is “impossible” for the UK to meet its net zero by 2050 target, which was set by former Tory Prime Minister Teresa May in 2019. She said that meeting the target would not be possible “without a serious drop in our living standard or by bankrupting us.”

UKGBC’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Simon McWhirter, said:

It’s hard not to receive this sort of news with equal measures of frustration and disbelief.

As a nation we’ve already started doing the hard yards of innovating our way towards a net zero future, and meeting that target is absolutely essential if we want to improve the economy, our homes and living standards. Far from harming people, this is about looking at how we can improve everyone’s quality of life, while ratcheting down our impact on the planet.

The growth opportunity for British innovators and business, if we grasp the nettle early, was espoused heavily in Conservative Government’s own Mission Zero report, while recent analysis by the Confederation of British Industry has shown the net zero sector is growing three times faster than the overall UK economy.

So, net zero is already in train, and our members and the built environment industry are fully behind it, and it’s widely documented that the longer we delay, the costs increase vastly.

We do agree that it’s essential that as we shift towards a net zero future that we do so in a fair way, and we need to shape the policies to ensure there are no unjust social impacts. But it’s eminently possible; as has been demonstrated with the design of the proposed Warm Homes Stamp Duty – where environmental improvements in our homes are rewarded with a tax rebate when they’re sold, but people in the most vulnerable situations are protected from the costs.”

Policy & Advocacy

Since 2007, we have been bringing together some of the most influential leaders in politics, business, local authorities, civil service and NGOs to accelerate action for a green built environment.
Learn more



Related