Starmer unveils new target to slash UK emissions - but insists he 'won't tell Brits how to live their lives'

12 November 2024, 12:10

Keir Starmer has revealed Britain's new target to slash emissions, but insisted that he won't ask British people to change their lifestyles to achieve it.

The Prime Minister promised to reduce Britain's emissions by 81% compared with 1990 levels by 2035 and urged other countries to put similar national targets in place.

Speaking from Cop29 in Baku, Starmer said that this change would be driven by a promise to move away from fossil fuels for electricity generation by 2030.

Some experts have argued that Brits will have to change their lifestyle in order for the country to meet this target.

The Climate Change Committee said around 10% of the change would come from "an accelerated shift in diets away from meat and dairy products, reductions in waste, slower growth in flights and reductions in travel demand".

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But Starmer said he would lead a government that "trod lightly on people's lives".

"The target is my target and the plan is my plan, I'm not borrowing from somebody's else's plan," he told reporters on Tuesday.

"The target is as I've set out today. I don't think that as we tackle this really important issue the way to do it is to tell people how to run their lives and instruct them how to behave."

He added: ""We set out the target, which is an important, ambitious target, what we are not going to do is start telling people how to live their lives.

"We are not going to start dictating to people what they do."

Sir Keir also said he would not be banning people from using private jets when asked if this could be a measure to reduce the UK's carbon emissions.

The leaders of China, France and the US are among those not attending Cop29.

The Taliban, the Islamist political group that has ruled Afghanistan since the departure of the US-led coalition in 2021, is among the attendees.

Starmer will not be speaking with the Taliban, the government has confirmed.

The Prime Minister also plans to push the private sector to "start paying their fair share" when it comes to climate commitments.

Starmer met president of the World Bank Ajay Banga on the fringes of the summit and thanked him for his support as he launches the CIF Capital Market Mechanism.

It will list on the London Stock Exchange and is part of the UK's efforts to raise climate finance at scale.

Starmer reiterates importance of UK showing leadership at Cop

A Downing Street spokesman said after the meeting: "The Prime Minister said that this demonstrated London as a green finance capital, and bolstered Britain as an attractive place to invest in the future."

The climate conference in Azerbaijan comes days after the re-election in the US of Donald Trump, who is expected to boost fossil fuels, roll back green incentives domestically and pull his country out of the Paris climate agreement again.

Starmer said he would not comment on Mr Trump when asked if he was prepared to call out the president-elect about his claims that climate change is a hoax, saying: "I'm not going to comment on his views. I am very clear in mine."

The Prime Minister has said he sees action on climate change as not just an obligation, but an opportunity.

"The UK has a huge opportunity to get ahead here when it comes to renewables," he said.

"That's why I'm encouraging as much investment as I can when it comes to carbon capture, when it comes to hydrogen, when it comes to offshore wind.

"There's a global race on now to be the global leader on this. I want us to be in the race and I want us to win the race."