Thread by @_richardblack

Those claiming @KemiBadenoch rowed back on the UK 2050 #NetZero target yesterday appear to have missed the main point. Which is, that a target needs a plan, and is useless without. She's not wrong

And yesterday's High Court ruling theguardian.com/environment/20… confirms that the next PM will need to develop a better plan than exists right now

In the course of doing that, the next PM (whether @KemiBadenoch or any other #ToryLeadershipContest contender) would take briefings from real experts rather than Tufton St has-beens and would discover that a) the 2050 target is not arbitrary but based in science and fairness,

b) accelerating energy efficiency, renewables and EVs will cut energy bills, grow 21st Century industries and remove reliance on despotic regimes, c) there is substantial public appetite, d) 2050 is eminently doable,

e) the main government intervention needed now isn't financial support but removing barriers to private sector investment, and f) pacé the #heatwave, the #CostOfNotZero will comfortably and with great certainty exceed investment needed to reach the 2050 target.

Yes, a target needs a plan and no, the government's current one isn't good enough. Personally I'd like to see candidates acknowledging this should be among the next PM's priority items - not just because it needs to be, but because of the huge opportunities #NetZero presents