Major brands including M&S, Amazon and Ikea have signed a letter to the prime minister Rishi Sunak urging him to put a greater emphasis on delivering Britain’s net zero goals.
A total of 104 companies, including leading retailers and other household names including Unilever, BP, and British Gas owner Centrica said in the letter that they had “consensus” on the need for “faster action”.
The intervention from business leaders comes ahead of next year’s general election, in which green jobs and the net zero economy are set to be a major sticking point, and it follows the resignation of former environment minister Zac Goldsmith after he accused the PM of being ‘uninterested’ in the environment’.
After the government’s climate advisor the CCC described the UK as being ‘off course’ to meet its climate change targets, shadow climate change and net zero secretary Ed Miliband said “the drive for green energy is not some climate luxury”. He described net zero as the solution to lowering household costs.
A party that has no meaningful answer to the nature crisis does not deserve votes or power. https://t.co/bkKNWbQyBH
— Zac Goldsmith (@ZacGoldsmith) July 18, 2023
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Industry leaders are now warning that the country risks losing out to the EU and the US.
“We have the solutions to tackling climate change: our businesses are built around new technologies, skilled jobs and the massive innovation capabilities of the UK,” reads the letter.
“Capitalising on these opportunities will generate growth and prosperity across the country. Polls show that British people support a green future. It is in the interest of our businesses, the UK’s economy and the public that net zero remains a national priority.
“This is the economic opportunity of the 21st century and we are concerned that without a renewed focus and commitment to delivery from the government, the UK will be left behind. We are now ready to invest, but we need your leadership – now, more than ever.”
