Tory war of words erupts as Theresa May hits out at Kemi Badenoch's 'catastrophic' climate plan

Theresa May has hit out at Kemi Badenoch's plan to rip up the UK's climate planswarning it would be a "catastrophic mistake".

The Tory war of words erupted as the Conservative leader said she would axe the world-leading Climate Change Act. It was ushered in by the last Labour government in 2008 and committed the government to cutting climate emissions by 80% by 2050.

Shortly before resigning as PM in 2019, Ms May increased the ambition of the Act to cutting greenhouse gases to zero overall, known as "net zero", by 2050.

Responding to Ms Badenoch's plans, the Tory peer said: “I am deeply disappointed by this retrograde step which upends 17 years of consensus between our main political parties and the scientific community.

READ MORE: Ed Miliband tears into Tories over plan to scrap climate act - 'economic disaster'

“To row back now would be a catastrophic mistake for while that consensus is being tested, the science remains the same."

Ms May, who said the UK has led the way in tackling climate change, added: "The harms are undeniable. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to ensure we protect the planet for their futures and that means giving business the reassurance it needs to find the solutions for the very grave challenges we face."

On Thursday the ex-Tory Cabinet minister Alok Sharma, a former Cop26 President, also warned the plan risks future investment and jobs in the UK. He said: "The path to a prosperous, secure and electable future for the Conservative Party lies in building on our achievements, not abandoning them.

"Voters, especially younger people and those in key marginal seats which we need to retain or win back, expect serious, coherent and forward-looking policies from the Conservative Party. Our legacy is one of global leadership. We should not squander this for the sake of short-term political expediency."

Earlier this week Ms Badenoch said she would scrap what she described as "failed targets". The Tory leader, who is preparing to host her party's annual conference this weekend, said: “We want to leave a cleaner environment for our children, but not by bankrupting the country.

“Climate change is real. But Labour’s laws tied us in red tape, loaded us with costs, and did nothing to cut global emissions. Previous Conservative governments tried to make Labour’s climate laws work - they don’t."

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has called the move "desperate" and said it would be an "economic disaster". Scientists warn the world must rapidly slash emissions to zero to prevent global temperatures rising to more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

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