Environmental group slam 'shockingly bad' Government budget

Speaking after Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a series of measures which included cutting air passenger duty on domestic flights and freezing fuel duty, West Midlands Friends of the Earth’s campaigner Chris Crean said the plans will ‘prolong’ the country’s dependence on fossil fuels.

And he has urged the government to reconsider some of its proposals, with the UK due to host the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow at the end of the month.

“With only days to go before Boris Johnson hosts crucial talks in Glasgow, this financial announcement was shockingly bad, and will do little to show his government recognises the enormity of the climate crisis we face,” he said.

“Fast-tracking the shift to a zero-carbon economy, with much greater investment in our homes, public transport and nature, should have been at the heart of Rishi Sunak’s plans. Instead climate change hardly featured.

“Despite the Chancellor’s window-dressing, his plans will simply prolong the UK’s dependency on fossil fuels and makes it far harder to seize the substantial job and export opportunities that climate leadership would bring.”

Despite several high-profile protests by group ‘Insulate Britain’ in recent weeks there was no investment into home renovations in the Chancellor’s budget, while other high-profile figures such as Caroline Lucas have described a ‘climate-shaped hole at the heart of the budget’.

And Mr Crean believes the measures are letting down ‘young people and the poorest’ in our society.

“Failing to rapidly decarbonise our economies will leave the planet facing the effects of extreme heat, flooding, and wildfires,” he said.

“The Chancellor has let down young people and the poorest in society, who have done least to contribute to the climate emergency.”

“Cutting Air Passenger Duty on domestic flights is an astonishing move that completely flies in the face of the climate emergency. The Chancellor should be making it cheaper for people to travel around the country by train, not carbon-guzzling planes.

“Air Passenger Duty for all flights should have been increased, or even better replaced with a frequent flyers levy, aimed at curbing multiple flights taken by a minority of people each year.

“As the Prime Minister prepares to host next week’s crucial climate summit, this retrograde step is another illustration that the government’s carbon reduction plans don’t add up.”