UK’s Sunak rules out referendum on net zero climate plan

LONDON — Rishi Sunak has rejected calls for a public vote on Britain’s plan to cut carbon emissions by 2050, amid anti-green pressure from Nigel Farage and some of Sunak’s Conservative MPs.

“I am committed to net zero… I think there is actually agreement on that,” Britain’s prime minister told ITV on Wednesday, when asked if he would put the emissions target to a referendum.

The UK’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 has been the topic of much debate lately. While still committed to the legally binding headline goal, Sunak has called for a “pragmatic and proportionate” approach to cutting emissions and made a show of expressing his support for motorists.

Some in his party want Sunak to go further, citing the impact of a switch to clean energy on voters already affected by rising prices. Those calling for a rethink were buoyed by a recent partial victory in the London by-election for Conservatives who campaigned against expanding a clean air scheme.

Former Brexit Party leader Farage on Wednesday renewed his long-standing call for the government to put the target up for a referendum, saying the telegraph newspaper the goal is “unrealistic, unachievable, and our politicians, to date, are unaccountable.”

“The only way we will achieve change is through a referendum, just like with the EU,” he argued.

When asked directly about such calls for a referendum, Sunak said the British were already behind the target.

“I think most people are committed to going to net zero, but doing it proportionally and pragmatically… I think there is broad support for that,” he told ITV.

Opinion polls generally show that the British support the main objective.

Supporters of the plan will be buoyed by new Ipsos polls on Wednesday, which showed a 13-point monthly rise in the proportion of Britons who say they are concerned about climate change and the environment.

One in four (25 per cent) of respondents now cite it as an important issue for the country, the survey shows, placing it behind only the economy and inflation and on a par with the UK’s National Health Service. in a ranking of top voter issues.