Impending measures including bans on sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, bans on buying new gas boilers and mandatory home upgrades, could have ended up setting people back as much as £15,000.
Even though most people would agree this is an eye-watering sum, especially when Britain is more than doing its bit to reach Net Zero by 2050 – the usual merry band of Labour Party eco-zealot virtue signallers have been out in force to criticise the PM’s decision to put the British people first.
But in the absence of even a hint of what Sir Keir’s own plan would be, we need to ask the question – how do the critics, the opposition and the naysayers justify lumping these costs onto people who quite simply can’t afford it?
Of course, we are concerned about how this affects vulnerable people in society, but to be frank, asking most people to fork out up to £10,000 to replace their gas boiler would be a blow to any budget, especially during the cost-of-living challenges we’re currently facing.
I’d also ask them to justify whether they think it’s fair to force expensive electric car ownership onto people at a quicker rate than countries like France, Spain and Germany.
This affects not just the poorest but everyone, from young families dropping their kids off at school, to commuters in rural towns and villages, to pensioners who rely on their cars to pick up their food shopping and to keep them connected to their communities.
Yes, it’s incredibly important for us to hit our Net Zero target by 2050, but it’s no good bankrupting people in the process – that’s more Labour’s style. We need to bring people with us, to make sure they have enough time and budget to prepare for the future, and we as a government have a responsibility to support them on that journey.
But as usual, Sir Keir has no real answers to his own criticisms and always takes the easy way out, while we’re making the tough long-term decisions that will lead to the best outcomes for our country in the future.
The Rt Hon Greg Hands has been MP for Chelsea and Fulham since 2005 and Chairman of the Conservative Party since February 2023.
