Boris and Rishi at war over green agenda

Boris and Rishi at war over green agenda: Chancellor leads push-back against PM’s £1.4 trillion bid to reach net-zero by 2050 due to fears it will hit the ‘poorest families the hardest’

• Sunak is thought to be pushing back against PM’s 2050 net-zero commitment 
• Comes amid fears it will spark a crisis with energy bills already rising 
• A Treasury review into the costs of meeting the net-zero 2050 goal has already been delayed twice from its original spring publication date 

Boris Johnson’s green agenda has hit yet another stumbling block amid growing fears within government that it will hit poorest households the hardest.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is thought to be leading push-back against Johnson’s commitment to go net-zero by 2050, fearing it will spark a cost-of-living crisis with energy bills already on the rise and inflation spiking as Covid lockdowns ease.

Senior Tories fear the crisis could prove politically ruinous in so-called Red Wall seats in traditionally working class areas of the north that flipped blue from Labour at the 2019 election, handing Mr Johnson a landslide victory.

A Treasury review into the costs of meeting the net-zero 2050 goal has already been delayed twice from its original spring publication date.

According to the Sunday Telegraph, the delay is due to fears that analysis shows working class families bearing the heaviest share of the burden.

Boris Johnson’s green agenda has hit yet another stumbling block amid growing fears within government that it will hit poorest households the hardest

A source told the paper: ‘Obviously, with anything like this, those with less money are going to be disproportionately hit more. That’s common sense.

Boris Johnson went ‘Tonto’ and ‘threatened to DEMOTE Rishi Sunak to Health Secretary’ 

Boris Johnson went ‘f***ing tonto’ and ‘threatened to demote Rishi Sunak to Health Secretary’ after the Chancellor called for easing of travel restrictions, reports indicate.  

The Prime Minister made his remarks to MP allies after a note written by the Chancellor a month ago found its way into the public domain last weekend – shortly before the infamous ‘traffic light’ rules were reviewed on Thursday. In his letter, Mr Sunak said that the UK was ‘out of step’ with the rest of the world.

Mr Johnson told his allies that by writing the letter, which was copied to Grant Shapps’s Transport Department, it was ‘bound’ to be leaked – and joked that he could move Mr Sunak to Health, where former Chancellor Sajid Javid became the Secretary of State six weeks ago. 

Mr Johnson was said to have been ‘apoplectic’, ‘raging’ or ‘f***ing tonto’ when he met senior Downing Street aides on Monday, The Sunday Times reports. He suggested sacking Rishi Sunak following the chancellor’s remarks calling for an easing of travel restrictions due to the threat they pose to the economy.

The first time the PM heard about the letter was when details of it appeared in news outlets, meaning officials had not flagged it for his attention or put it in his ministerial red box, it is believed.  

A senior source said the PM reportedly demanded to know where Mr Sunak was, and then in front of more than 12 witnesses said: ‘I’ve been thinking about it. Maybe it’s time we looked at Rishi as the next secretary of state for health. He could potentially do a very good job there.’ 

But it could be the case that Mr Johnson will not carry out his threat, as it has been reported that the Prime Minister has a reputation for off-the-cuff remarks made ‘half in jest’. 

‘That’s why work is ongoing to ensure the best solutions to ensure we hit the 2050 target without extraordinary costs to ordinary working class families.’

The cost of hitting the net zero target is thought to be around £1.4trillion, according to a previous report by the Mail on Sunday.

That includes £400billion spent on making buildings carbon neutral, £300billion on upgrading vehicles to electric, £500billion to de-carbonise power generation and £46billion to clean up industry.

Mr Johnson is thought to favour issuing households with cheques worth hundreds of pounds to compensate for the costs of going green.

But Mr Sunak – who is already searching for ways to pay off the UK’s £400billion Covid bill – is said to have baulked at the cost to the Treasury of those plans, which is thought to be around another £400billion.

The news will add to already-fraught relations between Mr Sunak and Mr Johnson, which frayed this week over Covid travel restrictions.

The Prime Minister is said to have ‘gone Tonto’ at his Chancellor while threatening to demote him to Health Secretary after a letter in which Mr Sunak criticised border rules for hurting the economy was leaked.

In the note, written to Mr Johnson, Mr Sunak said the UK is ‘out of step’ with the rest of the world and risked hurting its post-Covid recovery with the traffic-light system which has caused chaos so far this year for travellers.

Mr Johnson told allies that the letter, which was copied to Grant Shapps’s Transport Department, was ‘bound’ to be leaked – and made a barbed joke that Mr Sunak could be moved to the health department, where former Chancellor Sajid Javid became the Secretary of State six weeks ago.

The Prime Minister was said to have been ‘apopleptic’, ‘raging’ and going ‘f***ing Tonto’ when he met senior Downing Street aides on Monday.

Whitehall is grappling with how to meet the net-zero target as Britain prepares to host the Cop26 summit in Glasgow in November – seen by the government as a chance for Britain to distinguish itself as a world leader in the climate change fight.

The issue is causing rifts within the party with some, including climate spokesman Allegra Stratton, pushing the government to cut emissions faster.

Others, including MP Craig Mackinlay who heads a net zero scrutiny group of backbenchers, say the government’s plans are ‘too rapid, too uncosted and too unscientific’ and warn of electoral damage to the party as a result.

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