Net zero changes unsettling for business - Wyre Forest MP

Mark Garnier said making changes now would be "unsettling" for business

The vice-chair of Parliament's net zero select committee said shifting green targets was "unsettling" for businesses that had invested millions.

The prime minister has pushed back the date for the ban on new petrol and diesel car sales from 2030 to 2035.

Mark Garnier, Tory MP for Wyre Forest, said it was confusing for firms that had been trying to meet the target.

He said: "To change that market with only six-and-a-half years to go is I think very unsettling."

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Mr Garnier said automotive companies had put "an awful lot of investment" into developing electric alternatives after the government had created "an artificial market".

Those companies employed a lot of people he warned, and he said shifting the target would be bad for UK business.

Rishi Sunak insisted the UK would still hit net zero by 2050, despite the major shift on green policies.

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The announcement included a shift in the timeline on replacing gas boilers.

Carl Arntzen, chief executive, of Worcester Bosch said it was "no surprise they're backing off some of these measures, as an election is coming up".

"Everyone understands there's a need to decarbonise," he added, "it's how we do that in an affordable way for most consumers to then get on board.

"But what we need is medium, long-term security, and clarity from whoever is elected," he added.