Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
PM retreats on climate promises and Sir Keir meets with Macron
Wednesday’s front-page report on news that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is considering scaling back some of the government’s commitments to help the UK reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The PM is set to make an announcement on Friday.
Several of the papers feature a picture of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer shaking hands with French President Emmanuel Macron. The meeting came after French and German ministers suggested that the UK could be an ‘associate member’ of the EU.
PM retreats on climate promises
Tories are divided over the PM’s reported plans to roll back on climate pledges.
The Telegraph reports the move draws a “clear dividing line” between the Tories and Labour. The paper says many Tory MPs are happy with the news, with one calling them “great news and a victory for common sense. But it also notes that some Tories are not happy and will submit letters of no confidence if the prime minister goes ahead.
The Times reports on the unhappiness among sections of the Tory Party, with some saying backtracking on green commitments could cost the party the next election. The paper says a delay to the ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars will likely be “contentious.” It adds the original deadline of 2030 had played a key role in securing investments in battery technology and electric cars in the UK.
A similar point is made in the Guardian which says many of the targets are crucial for the growth of Briain’s green energy sector. Chief executive of Energy UK, Emma Pinchbeck, tells the paper the move is “not a great look for UK PLC”.
The tabloids cheer the news. “Finally! Common sense on net zero” says the Mail. The paper says ministers believe the new approach could assist households struggling with the high cost of living. The Sun has a leader column welcoming it.
The Daily Express notes the prime minister’s predecessor Liz Truss had called on him to delay the ban in a speech on Monday.
Starmer meets Macron
Away from green issues, Sir Keir’s meeting with French President Macron makes many front pages. The Telegraph quotes a “senior French source” who says Macron believes Sir Keir has the “moral authority” to be PM.
The i newspaper says Sir Keir is set to rule out any bid for the UK to join a revamped EU. A plan has emerged from France and Germany for four tiers of integration, including associate membership for some nations, which could include the UK.
The paper says Sir Keir is set to reject it completely.
But the Mail remains sceptical suggesting the plans are aimed at getting the UK back into the EU’s orbit. The paper accuses Starmer of a “plot to betray Brexit.”
More UK politics leads the Daily Mirror after Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said, in the Commons, that some children were happier being taught in the temporary classrooms that have been brought in to schools where there is crumbling concrete.