Kemi Badenoch has said it is “impossible” for the UK to meet its net zero target by 2050 – a goal set by a previous Conservative government.
In a speech, Badenoch said net zero cannot be achieved by 2050 “without a serious drop in our living standards or by bankrupting us”.
She said: “We’re falling between two stools – too high costs and too little progress.
“Net zero by 2050 is impossible.
Lord Craig Mackinlay, a Conservative peer and net zero sceptic, praised Badenoch’s “reality check” on the 2050 target.
“Most of the world has already given up any pretence that it is affordable or achievable,” he added.
“Intermittent renewables that only stack up on the back of buckets of taxpayer cash are not the answer when we need cheap, reliable and secure energy.”