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Sir Keir Starmer has announced an 81 per cent cut to emissions by 2035 during a speech at Cop29, but vowed that he will not be “telling people how to live their lives”.
The prime minister avoided saying what the cost would be to households, but said pledged that climate security offered a “huge opportunity for investment, for business, for British workers”.
He refused to comment on the absence of other world leaders, stressing that the UK was at the UN conference to “show leadership”.
His appearance comes amid a growing debate in the UK over the assisted dying Bill, which the prime minister said Labour MPs must “make their own mind up” on whether to vote in favour of the legislation.
When asked if he is going to vote in favour and whether he has any concerns about potential coercion, he said: “Obviously a lot will depend on the detail and we need to get the balance right but I’ve always argued there will need to be proper safeguards in place.”
The prime minister has previously supported assisted dying but has been careful not to express a view since the Bill was introduced.
Sue Gray reportedly decided ‘she doesn’t want’ new job offer
While reports in the guardian newspaper have suggested Downing Street were prepared to withdraw the offer, the Financial Times have instead claimed Ms Gray rejected the job.
“Sue has taken a decision not to take the role. She’s going to focus on other things,” an ally of the ex-civil servant told the FT.
They added: “She’s taken time to think about it properly, talking to stakeholders, but ultimately she’s decided she doesn’t want to do it.”
Previous reporting suggested Ms Gray was negotiating over the terms of the job and her exit from Downing Street.
Read the full story: Sue Gray ‘rejects Starmer’s job offer’ to become envoy for nations and regions
It comes amid claims the prime minister was poised to withdraw the job offer.
Read the full article from Millie Cooke here:
Keir Starmer ‘set to withdraw Sue Gray job offer’
Sir Keir Starmer is poised to withdraw the offer of a new job to his former chief of staff Sue Gray, according to media reports.
Ms Gray was due to take up a role as “envoy to the nations and regions” after she resigned from her position at the heart of Government in October.
This followed intense media speculation about a power struggle at the heart of Downing Street.
The former chief of staff was said to be on a short break before taking up her new post but reports across the media suggest the Prime Minister is now likely to rescind the job offer over concerns about what exactly the role would entail.
On Tuesday, the Guardian newspaper reported that Downing Street is preparing to withdraw the offer, and also said there were concerns about the media attention which would likely follow her if she were to accept the role.
The Financial Times meanwhile said Ms Gray has now rejected the job.
Is the latest assisted dying bill likely to be made law?
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will be brought before the Commons in its entirety in the coming days, with a debate in the chamber scheduled for the end of the month. As it comes from the elected chamber, it will probably be similar to – but supersede and render redundant – an equivalent bill that is currently in the House of Lords, introduced by Charlie Falconer, a former lord chancellor.
The Commons version is a private member’s bill led by Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP for Spen Valley. There will obviously be much focus on the details and safeguards in the bill, but there are increasing signs that the way the issue is being discussed may hamper its progress…
Read the full analysis here:
What must the UK do to reach the new goal of 81% emissions cut by 2035?
The Climate Change Committee recently warned that the UK is off track to meet its 2030 climate targets, with the country needing to drastically accelerate changes to high-emitting industries over the next decade.
According to the Government’s advisers, delivering on the target will mean ending heating homes with natural gas boilers, lower meat and dairy consumption and a switch to electric cars.
The CCC said electricity will need to be zero carbon by 2035, with a phaseout of gas power that does not have technology to capture and store its carbon emissions, and renewables – in particular offshore wind – generating 70 per cent of power.
It also said sales of natural gas boilers need to be phased out by 2033 with the majority of homes switching to heat pumps that run on electricity.
Sales of new petrol and diesel cars, motorbikes and vans, including plug-in hybrids, must be phased out by 2032, with most new sales ended by 2030.
People should also be encouraged to reduce their meat and dairy consumption by 20 per cent by 2030, which will free up land for restoring peatland so it absorbs carbon and to plant trees.
And cuts to demand for other carbon intensive activities will also be needed, including slower growth in flights, reductions in car travel, and cutting waste and boosting recycling, the advisers said.
Tories take narrow poll lead over Labour in Badenoch’s first week as leader
Read the full article here:
Top Blair adviser who said ‘we don’t need small farmers’ disowned by Starmer
Sir Keir Starmer has distanced himself from comments made by a senior adviser to Tony Blair after he said “we don’t need small farmers” during a discussion about the fury among farmers towards the inheritance tax rises announced in the Budget.
The party grandee was asked about planned protests by farmers over Rachel Reeves’ Budget, which will mean they have to pay 20 per cent of tax on inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1m from April 2026. The change is being dubbed the “tractor tax” and has sparked outrage among farmers, who say it will threaten the UK’s food security and lead to the closure of family farms.
Mr McTernan said: “If the farmers want to go on the streets – we can do to them what Margaret Thatcher did to the miners.”
Read the full story here:
Keir Starmer dodges questions over Donald Trump climate fears at Cop29 summit
Keir Starmer dodges questions over Donald Trump climate fears at Cop29 summit
Sir Keir Starmer appeared to dodge questions over President-elect Donald Trump’s climate fears at the Cop29 summit. The prime minister was asked how he plans to work with the new US president on climate change, when he previously described the crisis as a “hoax”. Sir Keir appeared to dodge the question during an interview on Tuesday (12 November), instead insisting that the UK will show leadership to tackle the climate crisis. Trump has threatened to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement once more to curb global warming. When pressed again on Trump’s views on climate change, Sir Keir said: “I look forward to working with President Trump.”
Trump’s approach to oil will not impact UK’s climate ambitions
Donald Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” approach to oil in the US will not hinder the UK’s net zero ambitions, energy minister Michael Shanks has confirmed.
Conservative former minister Andrew Murrison said: “Offshore wind has been a real positive for our energy security and grid independence, but unfortunately not when the wind doesn’t blow. Given the election of a president who tells us he’s going to ‘drill, baby, drill’, what revision does the minister anticipate to his timetable towards net zero?”
Mr Shanks told the Commons: “We’ll outline later this year our action plan on how we will deliver on 2030 but there’s no change to our timetable in that regard.
“But what it does show – he raises a good point around when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine – about making sure that we have a mix in our energy system. That’s why we remain supportive of nuclear.
“It’s also why we’ve announced recently investment in long-duration energy storage to make sure we can capture that energy and use it when we need it.”
Government’s net zero ambition will lead to lower energy bills, says minister
The Government’s clean power by 2030 ambition will lead to lower energy bills, energy minister Michael Shanks has told the Commons.
This came in response to Conservative former minister Tom Tugendhat, who said: “I’m delighted that the minister is setting out the report that promises an extra £40 billion a year of investment in the energy sector, and presumably the taxes to go with it, which is of course going to come off the businesses that are otherwise paying for everything else in the Budget that’s just gone by.
“Is there anything at all in his proposal that’s actually going to bring down the cost of energy and not be replaced by taxpayer funding? Because it appears at the moment there is zero, and already energy prices are going up.”
Mr Shanks replied: “I would encourage (Mr Tugendhat) to read the NESO (National Energy System Operator) report, because it does in great detail set out that not only is clean power 2030 achievable, but that it will lead to lower bills.
“Companies are choosing to invest in this country when they didn’t under the party opposite and the reality that he has to answer is that once upon a time this party opposite recognised that the drive to net zero was important, they’ve abandoned that commitment now.”
