After Sir Keir Starmer pledged to cut greenhouse gases by 81 per cent by 2035, GB News asks its members if the Prime Minister’s pledge is the right thing to do.
Starmer, who is in Baku for the Cop29 climate change summit, made the commitment as Azerbaijian President Ilham Aliyev described oil and gas as a “gift from God”.
However, Starmer is driven to cut carbon emissions during his time in No10.
Speaking to journalists earlier today, the Prime Minister said: “We set out the target, which is an important, ambitious target. What we are not going to do is start telling people how to live their lives.”
Starmer later emphasised that his Labour Government would “tread lightly on people’s lives”, although experts have noted that dietary changes and decreased travel might be required to meet this new goal.
The summit, on the whole, was thinly attended, as heads of state from China, France and the US did not attend, although administration officials from the Taliban were invited by the UN.
Conservative Shadow Environment Secretary Claire Coutinho criticised Starmer over his comments.
Keir Starmer in Baku
REUTERS
She told GB News: “The thing that I think is extremely worrying is that they’ve been promising the British electorate something very different.
“They said that they were going to cut bills by £300 by 2030.
“But we can now all see in this report that that is simply just not true.”
Other leaders have also warned against excessively ambitious climate change targets.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said: “We must continue advancing the green transition while also maintaining our use of natural gas, oil and nuclear energy.”
Do you think Starmer is right to commit the UK to cutting greenhouses gases by 81 per cent? Vote in our poll and have your say in the comments section below.
