Ministers have vowed to protect consumers from “any rising costs” associated with green policies as Conservative MPs called for a “rethink” over the pace of change to reach net zero.
Right-wing Tories are urging the Prime Minister to review the deadlines around environmental measures after voter concerns about the expansion of London’s ultra low emission zone (Ulez) helped the party hang on to Boris Johnson’s old Uxbridge and South Ruislip during last week’s by-election.
The result has given the governing party hope that its chances of pulling off a shock general election victory are not over if it can focus on issues where there is a clear divide with Labour.
Former business secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and Danny Kruger, the co-leader of the New Conservatives, a group of Tory MPs elected since the Brexit referendum, both called for green deadlines to be reconsidered on Sunday.
Rishi Sunak is said to be considering delaying or ditching climate change-tackling measures that could impose costs on consumers.
The world burns
Meanwhile, the first repatriation flights are due to arrive on fire-ravaged Rhodes to rescue British holidaymakers stuck in a “living nightmare”.
Airline easyJet will operate two rescue flights totalling 421 seats on Monday and a third on Tuesday, in addition to its nine scheduled flights to the Greek island.
It comes after authorities began evacuating large swathes of the island of Corfu, which is also popular with British holidaymakers, after fires spread there on Sunday.
Fishing stock
This year’s North Atlantic heatwave may also be catastrophic for fish stocks people rely on for food and livelihoods, scientists and the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) have warned.
The ocean’s surface temperature has been soaring above the previous record since early March with highs as much as 5C above the long-term average, classified as “beyond extreme” by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – its highest category.
Human-induced climate change has been steadily warming the oceans which have absorbed 90 per cent of the excess heat produced by greenhouse gas emissions.
Meanwhile, natural occurrences such as changes in wind patterns have driven the North Atlantic ocean’s temperature to record highs, scientists said.
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