Skidmore’s green proposals ‘should be aligned with other legislation’

A green body has welcomed the findings of Mission Zero, a rapid review by the former energy minister Chris Skidmore, which calls on the government to recognise that there is no future economy but a green one.

The document said the UK’s leadership on tackling climate change had been positive, but more should be done to reap the economic benefits that it presents. 

But bodies such as the UK Green Building Council are urging further action by saying the recommendations should align with other regeneration and levelling-up agendas.

Julie Hirigoyen, chief executive at UKGBC, said: “The Skidmore Review rightly recognises the enormous economic prize of jobs, growth, and innovation on offer if the UK takes proactive action to seize the opportunities of net zero. Our members and partners across the industry are resoundingly consistent and committed to working at speed and scale to deliver a decarbonised, net zero built environment and reaping the economic and growth opportunities that this brings.   

“We welcome the range of recommendations in the review to support the decarbonisation of our homes, buildings, communities and cities. Many of our members would even support going further in several areas, including legislating for net zero alignment through the levelling up and regeneration bill, requiring solar power on new homes, and an end date for new fossil-fuel boilers in homes by 2028. 

“We urge the government to decisively take forward the recommendations so that the UK can accelerate progress toward net zero and embrace this era of opportunity at a time when our economy needs it most acutely.”

International competition

Tom Thackray, decarbonisation director at business body the CBI, said: “There is no growth without green in the future. The review expertly shows that accelerating the UK transition gives us the best chance of capitalising on a global economic opportunity.

“But with fierce international competition, we need bold and decisive policies from the government to keep us ahead of the pack.”

Esin Serin, policy analyst at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science, said: “The review’s main strength is that it builds its conclusions on strong evidence and analysis, including our own gathered from a comprehensive consultation process led by the review team.

“We have found that the UK has a comparative advantage in clean technologies overall and in some specific technologies, including offshore wind and carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS), which have the potential to deliver especially high returns to public investment in innovation.

“I hope this review will reinforce transition efforts already underway and catalyse urgently needed further action for the successful delivery of the UK’s Net Zero Strategy.”