Nigel Farage called net zero targets ‘virtue-signalling’. (Image: Getty)
Nigel Farage has urged Reform-led councils to abandon “virtue-signalling” climate emergency targets in a blow to Ed Miliband’s net zero dreams. Between May 2019 and 2023, eight out of 10 local authorities across Britain declared climate emergencies and announced eco-friendly commitments.
They pledged to allocate millions of pounds to make offices, waste collection trucks and all council-run services carbon-neutral. Instead of adhering to the 2050 deadline set by Parliament, most councils committed to a more ambitious target of 2030. But now, the Reform UK leader said these net zero pledges should be abandoned after his party took control of 10 county councils two months ago.
READ MORE: Ed Miliband’s push to net zero to cost taxpayers eye-watering £800bn
He told The Telegraph: “They need to be scrapped. It’s not the job of county councils to deal with global issues, and it wouldn’t make any difference at all if they were scrapped. It costs money and they are a massive diversion of time. It’s virtue-signalling.”
Mr Farage’s remarks follow his statement in May suggesting that staff working on climate change initiatives should be “seeking alternative careers”.
Of the 10 councils under Reform control, seven had existing climate emergency policies. Last week, Kent County Council became the first to announce plans to save £40m by slashing net zero spending.
Lincolnshire County Council has faced backlash for its “reckless” plan to eliminate its flood management scrutiny committee, despite the council acknowledging a climate emergency in 2019.
Derbyshire County Council also disbanded its climate change committee and called off all related meetings.
Ed Miliband said anti-net zero politicians are ‘betraying future generations’. (Image: Getty)
The energy secretary is expected to call out those who reject net zero policies in an update to parliament on the climate crisis, the Guardian reports.
Mr Miliband will make a “state of the climate” address to the Commons regarding the findings of a new Met Office-led report, which warned of extreme weather and its effects on the UK.
He said: “I feel a deep sense of responsibility to the British people to tell them the truth about what we know about the climate and nature crisis.
“I want this to become an annual statement where it’s an exercise in radical truth-telling about the state of the climate and nature. I think only by levelling with people about what we know can we win people’s trust about the need for action.”
Most Popular Comments
1st Most liked comment • 11 hours ago56
“Between 1948 and 2008, the British economy grew by an average of 2.7% per year. Since 2008, annual growth has been 1.1% on average, with no real …”
2nd Most liked comment • 11 hours ago56
“Remember what has happened at the end of April in Spain and Portugal in which ‘net …”
3rd Most liked comment • 12 hours ago52
“well said nigel now make sure councils run by reform do ust that”