Kemi Badenoch vows to repeal Climate Change Act

Tory leader says she would replace it with cheap energy' strategy, ending decades-long consensus on climate

Kemi Badenoch has vowed to repeal the Climate Change Act if the Conservatives win the next election, doing away with controls on greenhouse gas emissions and dismantling what has been the cornerstone of green and energy policy for successive governments.

The Conservative party leader was already committed to scrapping the UK's net zero target but repeal of the Climate Change Act would go much further. It would remove the need to meet carbon budgets" - ceilings, set for five-year periods, on the amount of greenhouse gas that can be emitted - and disband the Climate Change Committee, the watchdog that advises on how policies affect the UK's carbon footprint.