Rishi Sunak’s U-turns over net zero have delayed progress on vital infrastructure that is needed for economic growth, the government’s advisers have said.
Sir John Armitt, the chair of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), said good progress had been made on renewable energy in the past five years, but changes to key policies, including postponing a scheme to boost heat pump takeup, had created uncertainty and delay.
He said the government could no longer “duck key decisions”, as Britain was falling behind on vital infrastructure, from rail transport and energy to water, flood defences and waste.
Failure to catch up would stymie economic growth, and imperil climate targets, the NIC found in its latest annual review.
Since last September, when he watered down key net zero policies, Sunak has repeatedly referred to the need to be “pragmatic” on net zero.
Armitt said: “I can understand the need to seek to be pragmatic, but every time you seek to be pragmatic you take your foot off the gas and you provide an encouragement to people to say: ‘Well, do I really need to do this?’
