Michael Gove says voters are unhappy that net zero targets have resulted in 'arbitrary and very costly' Deadlines Credit: Paul Grover for The Telegraph
Michael Gove warned against treating the environment as a “religious crusade” as he called for the relaxation of some net zero measures.
In an interview with The Telegraph, the Minister for Upgrading and Housing referred to the Dutch protests against emissions rules, saying that the “harsh” enforcement of pollution-reducing rules “leads to a backlash.”
In his own department, Mr. Gove admits that the government is “demanding too much.” quickly” landlords. They will currently be banned from renting out their homes unless they pay for environmentally friendly measures such as insulation and heat pumps to reach a new minimum energy efficiency threshold by 2028.
Referring to the existing financial pressure on landlords, he added: “I think we should slow down.”
He also warned that Natural England, the environmental quango, should “suspend” efforts to block new housing in some more than 330 designated areas across the country unless councilors agree to introduce green schemes such as ultra-low emission zones (Ulez) and low traffic areas.
Interview with Gove
The intervention comes amid backlash from Conservative MPs over the party's two by-election defeats last week.
In Boris Johnson's third, former seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, the party narrowly won the poll after campaigning against Ulez Sadiq Khan's expansion in London.
On Saturday, Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer warned his party over its Uxbridge defeat, saying: “We are doing something very wrong if the Labor Party's policy is on every Tory leaflet.” He urged the Mayor of London to “think about” the Ulez scheme.
Sir Ian Duncan Smith was the latest MP to call for a rethink of zero in light of the by-election results.
Writing for The Telegraph, the former Tory leader said voters were unhappy that the goal of cutting net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 had led to “arbitrary and very costly” deadlines, such as banning the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2030.
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Regarding the gas car ban, Mr Gove said he could not say “whether it is a perfectly calibrated target”, although “I am sure it is achievable”.
Mr Gove becomes the first of Rishi Sunak's cabinet ministers to publicly call for the relaxation of some measures, while warning of the consequences of promoting unpopular schemes during a cost-of-living crisis.
His intervention is particularly important because, as Theresa May's Environment Secretary, he was a proponent of the initial move to set a common 2050 deadline. He did not question the deadline itself.
In a speech on Monday, Mr Gove will present a long-term housing plan to refute Labor's claims that the Conservatives have failed to tackle the housing crisis.
He said: “We are a party that wants to make sure our city has livable and walkable upgrades and in many cases this is where those who aspire to climb the housing ladder will want to be.”
On the contrary, Labor has established itself as a 'suburban sprawl' party that wants to 'swallow up the green belt', said the housing minister.
The plan will include setting up a new generation of state-sponsored development corporations in cities across the country to buy up land using mandatory buy orders and sell pieces to developers to build new homes with planning permission.
The government will also create a “super planning team” – the Land Action Task Force – and revise permitted development rights to make it easier to convert shops and farm buildings into residences. in his speech on Monday. Photo: Paul Grover for The Telegraph
Explaining his disagreement with Natural England's emerging stance on air pollution, Mr Gove said: “I don't find the intentions behind these initiatives shameful, but you are causing a backlash.
“We have seen in the Netherlands how the inflexible application of tough rules borrowed from the EU, albeit with good intentions, is backlashing, which really means that the support you need to move forward on environmental protection is gone.
“One of the dangers… is that if people think that you treat the environment as a religious crusade in which you divide the world into good and bad, then you are alienating support, which you need for thoughtful environmental protection.
Separately, Mr Gove said the 'nutrient neutrality' rules cited as the reason for lockdowns of up to 145,000 homes should be changed because they 'don't strike the right balance'.
Teresa Coffey, Environment Minister, is expected to speak to Tony Juniper, chairman of Natural England, about her concerns about her new approach to air pollution published by that newspaper last week.
Mr Gove said: “We absolutely need to have these conversations with Natural England … we can't have a situation where there is a 'talk with the hand' approach.
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