Khan issues challenge to Burnham not to back away from net-zero goals

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said green investment was needed to ‘get our planet back on track’.

Andy Burnham has been warned not to “slow down on net zero” by London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, who argued the heatwave and wildfires showed the need for action on climate change.

The Prime Minister has acknowledged the devastation caused by the extreme weather is due to climate change but has faced criticism over his stance on North Sea oil and gas and potentially watering-down targets for the take-up of electric vehicles.

Sir Sadiq, who has been nominated for a life peerage, called for “reassurance” from Mr Burnham’s Government that there would be no shift away from commitments to end reliance on fossil fuels, demanding international “action over apathy” on climate change.

Mr Burnham has promised a “pragmatic” approach to North Sea oil and gas, winning praise from US President Donald Trump who has advocated a “drill, baby, drill” approach to the fossil fuel reserves.

Labour’s 2024 election manifesto promised there would be no new licences for exploration of oil and gas fields, although this still leaves open the option of greater exploitation of existing sites.

In a sign of tensions within Labour over the issue, Sir Sadiq said the planet was in a “deeply precarious position”.

“And that’s why we need reassurance from the Government that they won’t slow down on net zero or reducing our reliance on oil and gas and that they’ll continue accelerating the green investment we need to get our country and planet back on track,” he said.

He said national governments around the world ”must choose action over apathy and commit to delivering Net Zero, reducing our reliance on oil and gas, and investing in the large-scale green projects we urgently need to cut emissions, adapt to extreme heat, and protect communities from flooding and wildfires”.

In the wake of a visit to Stourbridge on Friday to see the impact of a wildfire, the Prime Minister said: “This is what climate change looks like, here and now.”

He said “we have to face up to the changing climate” adding “we need more clean energy, we need to see that transition accelerate”.

But on the same day the Government launched a consultation on easing targets for the sale of new electric vehicles.

The Government has launched a consultation on cutting its zero-emission vehicle (Zev) mandate, which currently sets a target for 80% of all new car sales to be zero-emission by 2030, to a figure of as low as 50%.

Colin Walker, head of transport at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit think tank said watering down the target during a time of heatwaves and drought “may seem strange to the increasing number of people concerned by images of homes on fire and the security and affordability of the food we eat”.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “It’s right we keep targets under review to ensure they’re practical and back British industry.”