Greenpeace reaction to Michael Gove’s comments

Reacting to Michael Gove’s comments on this morning’s BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, Greenpeace UK’s director of policy, Doug Parr, said:

“Michael Gove has demonstrated how disjointed the government’s new strategy is. If ministers genuinely want to help lower costs for households, they should be doing everything in their power to switch our homes, energy and transport systems away from expensive, climate-wrecking fossil fuels and run them instead on clean technology and cheap renewables.

“Mr Gove is right to reaffirm the government’s commitment to ending the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030 – and Sunak should now do the same, whilst making the transition as easy as possible for people with extensive charging infrastructure and the promised mandate on manufacturers. But allowing more oil and gas drilling, delaying the phase out of gas boilers and giving landlords longer to insulate the homes of renters will only keep bills high and continue to fan the flames of climate change.

“Rishi Sunak may be emboldened by narrowly clinging onto Uxbridge by less than 500 votes, but as Greece continues to burn, putting climate policies on the chopping block right now will firmly place himself and his premiership on the  wrong side of history.”