Our first big win: Ministers delay Net Zero heating plans following disagreements inside government
In a clear sign that the cost of Net Zero is turning into a highly contentious issue, the UK government has halted its planned heating strategy, with ministers reportedly divided over what to do about the hugely unpopular gas boiler ban.
In recent months, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) announced its intention to ban gas boilers and force households to switch to very expensive and less-effective heat pumps in an attempt to decarbonising housing. This Net Zero plan has generated a wave of public anger and opposition over the impracticality and the astronomical cost burden British households would face if it were implemented.
In May, the Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF) urged Boris Johnson to pause the poorly designed green home heating policies before they collapse into a humiliating fiasco.
Now, it appears that 10 Downing Street has realised that the planned gas boiler ban could become an existential threat to the government, as Sky News reports: "Ministers are concerned about the prospect of a Tory backlash over the costs for middle earners... There is growing concern in parts of the government that there could be a big political fight with Tory backbenchers, including figures such as Steve Baker, over domestic plans to be unveiled later this year."
If Boris Johnson wants to avoid a serious threat to his premiership, he needs to put a stop to this rush into an inevitable political fiasco. He needs to send his ministers back to the drawing board and allow households to make their own decisions about what heating system is cheapest and works best for them.
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Sky News understands the 'heat and buildings strategy' was originally due for publication next week. But a Whitehall standoff over the cost of the plans means talks have stalled. There is growing concern in parts of the government that there could be a big political fight with Tory backbenchers over domestic plans to be unveiled later this year.
GWPF welcomes Boris Johnson’s last-minute delay of gas boiler ban