11 Jun 24
Analysis by Dr Jason Palmer (Cambridge Energy, CAR and UCL)
The Liberal Democrats are majoring on change. They say the Conservatives’ neglect has pushed the country into crisis: the economy, the NHS, schools, housing and the climate. The Conservatives have wrecked our relationship with our European neighbours and left people feeling powerless.
The LibDems say they will invest in renewable power and home insulation to drive economic growth. They claim they will cut emissions and energy bills with an emergency Home Upgrade Programme, and at the same time invest in rooftop solar and clean energy. The Home Upgrade Programme will run for ten years and provide free insulation and heat pumps for households on low incomes.
However, none of their policies are costed or explain how they will be paid for. Whoever wins on July 4th will find it hard to raise Government money for investment (the national debt is at its highest since the 1960s), and the LibDems have lots of other expensive commitments. Particularly interesting are policies where there are no costs to Government, like re-introducing requirements on landlords to improve energy efficiency by 2028, and making it easier to build new solar and wind farms. We take with a pinch of salt the pledge to ensure new homes are zero-carbon - the LibDems would not be the first government to try this. Building Regulations are already moving in this direction, and changing Building Regulations also takes a long time.
How much would each party's manifesto commitments reduce UK CO2e emissions?
Party Manifestos - Climate Comparison
| Key pledges in the next parliament | Impact on UK emissions | Impact on per capita emissions |
|---|---|---|
| Introduce Home Upgrade Programme (insulation+heat pumps for low-income households) | Unquantifiable: depends how much | Unquantifiable: depends how much |
| Ensure new homes are zero-carbon | Low (by 2030) | High |
| Expand incentives for rooftop solar for households, including a fair export price | Low (by 2030) | Low |
| Invest in renewable power so 90% of UK electricity is from renewables by 2030 | Medium | Medium |
| Return international development spending to 0.7% of national income, with climate change a key priority | Low (by 2030) | - |
| Act to meet the Paris Agreement commitment to cut emissions by at least 68% on 1990 by 2030 | High | High |
| Restore requirement for all new cars and small vans sold from 2030 to have zero emissions | Low (by 2030) | Low |
| Reintroduce requirements on landlords to achieve EPC ‘C’ by 2028 | Medium | Medium |
| Remove ‘unnecessary’ restrictions on new solar and wind generation | Low (by 2030) | Low |
NB: It is not clear when most Lib Dem key pledges would be actioned. The last three can be achieved without Government spending.
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