Climate News: Kemi Badenoch vows to repeal the Climate Change Act

The Conservative opposition leader, Kemi Badenoch, has pledged to repeal the 2008 Climate Change Act should her party win the next general election. This marks a radical shift in the rhetoric of UK environmental policy over the past decade.

The Climate Change Act was initially passed by Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown with near-unanimous support from Parliament. It has set binding emission targets for almost two decades and was later expanded to include the 2050 net-zero goal.

Badenoch described the act in a press conference as “bureaucratic, outdated, and economically destructive,” stating that it “locks Britain into unachievable obligations while driving up energy bills”. She and some party members argue that the current framework hampers growth.

Critics warn that it could deter clean energy investment and unsettle markets that view the UK as a stable green leader

Badenoch insists that repealing the act would not mean abandoning environmental goals altogether but replacing “ideological targets” with “pragmatic, affordable measures”. She hopes that by removing environmental regulations, businesses would be encouraged to generate new jobs, support British manufacturing, and boost growth.

However, the economic effects of repealing the act remain unclear. Critics warn that it could deter clean energy investment and unsettle markets that view the UK as a stable green leader. Former Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May, who legislated the UK’s net-zero target, warned that the move would “trash Britain’s international credibility,” while some Conservative members have described it as a “desperate move”.

Climate scientists have also noted that UK emissions have fallen by 46% since 1990. Many attribute this to the enforcement mechanisms of the act. Environmental group Friends of the Earth has called the proposal an act of “political vandalism” that would “abandon future generations”.

The repeal of the Climate Change Act 2008 would not simply roll back targets – it would redefine Britain’s role in global climate leadership. The move represents a shift towards more populist political rhetoric, one based more on ideology than on pragmatism.