Alok Sharma has threatened to resign from the cabinet if the Tory leadership candidates don’t show more support for the government’s net zero targets.
The cabinet minister, who led the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow last year, said the failure of the five remaining contenders to commit themselves unequivocally to net zero emissions by 2050 risked causing “incredible damage” to British diplomacy.
His warning comes as a poll of Conservative members showed just 4% said hitting the targets by 2050 is a key priority.
Later today Sharma will grill each of the remaining candidates on green matters, giving each 15 minutes to speak about what they would do for the environment if elected leader.
Foreign secretary Liz Truss has called for a “temporary moratorium” on the green energy levy, while Penny Mordaunt has called for the green levies to be scrapped, but has pledged to create “millions of green jobs” if elected.
Tom Tugendhat has wavered on net zero, first questioning the target then reaffirming it, while Badenoch has called net zero “unilateral economic disarmament”.
Rishi Sunak said he would keep the levies, supports net zero and called for more home insulation, though critics noted he withdrew Treasury cash for insulation while chancellor of the exchequer.
