London Chamber Statement on the Latest Changes on the Net Zero Target

Wednesday 20 September 2023

Responding to Prime Minister’s change in policy on Net-Zero, Richard Burge, Chief Executive Officer at London Chamber of Commerce and Industry:

“Prime Minister Sunak promised London and its businesses a vision of the UK being a net-zero world leader by 2050. London businesses therefore, decided to go the extra mile by starting to invest in electric vehicle transition. In addition, Sir Alok Sharma MP, who represented this Government at the climate change summit in Glasgow, highlighted last week to the City of London Chamber of Commerce that being a policy-world leader means that London could be a business-world leader. However, the Government’s decision to suddenly back track and delay the ban on petrol and diesel cars makes us look flakey, unreliable, and incapable of leading the green energy revolution. The real world achieves success by sticking to workable plans. We can’t be a pendulum on issues that deter the confidence of our businesses who are key stakeholders on green energy issues. To hit the 2050 target, the Government must focus on improving net zero transport infrastructure. After all the delays with HS2, this is yet another lost opportunity for the UK to lead a green carbon economy.”

ENDS

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