The Conservatives have set out plans to abandon the UK's net zero target, with shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho arguing the government should prioritise cheap electricity over decarbonisation and let "consumer choice be king". Green campaigners have strongly criticised the move, arguing it relies on misleading claims about the relative costs of gas and renewables and risks exposing Britain to volatile fossil fuel prices, as happened during the 2022 energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine.

A Tory-commissioned report by think tank Onward and advisory firm Transira Energy claimed the approach could save families £540 a year on energy bills, but campaigners from Greenpeace UK and Zero Hour dismissed this as a "myth" requiring a "mathematical miracle", urging caution until independent experts verify the figures. Net zero by 2050 was introduced by Theresa May's Conservative government in 2019, and Labour has continued pursuing it since taking office, with Ed Miliband and now Miatta Fahnbulleh aiming for a 95 per cent carbon-free grid by 2030. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has since declared the 2050 target unachievable, pledged to scrap the policy, and is barring pro-net zero Conservatives from standing as candidates at the next general election.