‘The worst kind of culture war’: Tories attack Rishi Sunak’s reversal on net zero

The prime minister's attempts to turn the climate emergency into a US-style wedge issue have dismayed veteran MPs who champion green policies

Rishi Sunak's decision to drive a green wedge" between the Conservatives and Labour will take the UK into dangerous new political territory and the worst kind of culture wars", not seen for more than 30 years, senior Tory figures and political observers have warned.

Reversals and delays to net zero policy announced last week will be just the start of a general election campaign in which the UK's longstanding cross-party political consensus on climate will be increasingly at stake. Emails sent to journalists from the Conservative campaign headquarters revealed lines of attack on targets including the independent Climate Change Committee and Labour's proposed 28bn investment in a low-carbon economy.