Chris Packham to challenge Rishi Sunak over net zero policy delays

Chris Packham has argued the prime minister is acting "illegally"

Naturalist Chris Packham has outlined plans to legally challenge changes to net zero policy commitments announced last month by the prime minister.

Rishi Sunak said he intended to delay the phase-out of new gas boilers, along with petrol and diesel cars.

If the prime minister does not reverse the changes, Mr Packham said, he will apply to the High Court for a judicial review.

The government said it was "on track to deliver our net-zero commitments".

Net zero means no longer adding to the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

The UK has committed to reach net zero by 2050, and last month Rishi Sunak announced significant changes to the UK's plans on hitting this target.

These mean the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will no longer be phased out in 2030 but in 2035, and only 80% of gas boilers will need to be phased out by that date instead of 100%.

Mr Sunak said the UK had decarbonised faster than other developed countries, and net zero policies could impose "unacceptable costs on hard-pressed British families".

The decision has prompted criticism from opposition parties, industry bosses and climate campaigners.

'The legal right'

Mr Packham, who is a well-known for presenting nature programmes, said he believed the prime minister was "acting illegally" in changing the policy, and it contravened the UK's commitments under the Climate Change Act, which says the government must be clear on how it will meet its carbon budget plans.

He said the decision had been made without any public consultation, and without informing Parliament or the Climate Change Committee - which advises the government on how to meet is carbon budgets.

Alongside a video posted on social media site X on Wednesday, Mr Packham wrote: "I believe the timeline for the UK to meet net zero cannot be changed at will by the PM - I contend that he does not have the legal right."

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In his legal letter to Mr Sunak, he said reneging on the policies without offering alternatives was "reckless and irresponsible".

He argued the government's plans to meet its legal net zero commitments were "shambolic and destined to failure", even before the changes were announced.

"The prime minister is playing populist politics with the future of life on Earth," he said.

The letter was sent last week, and Mr Packham said the prime minister had 14 days to respond or reverse the decision before he would go to the High Court.

Under the 2015 Paris climate agreement, 197 countries - including the UK - agreed to work to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels by 2100.

To achieve this, scientists said that net zero CO2 emissions should be reached by 2050, though the UN wants countries to bring forward their targets by a decade.

A government spokesperson said it was taking a "fairer and more pragmatic approach" to meeting net zero targets, and "easing the burden on hard-working businesses and families".

"Households will have more time and flexibility to make the transition, ensuring they can switch to electric vehicles when it suits them, and easing the boiler phase out will save some families thousands of pounds at a time when the cost of living is high," they added.