Former PM Blair Backs Down on Net Zero Criticism

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APR 30

Above: Former Prime Minister Tony Blair and now-Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer discuss politics during the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change's Future of Britain Conference in central London on July 18, 2023. Image copyright: Stefan Rousseau/Contributor/PA Images via Getty Images

story last updated MAY 1

The Spin

Left narrative

Blair's intervention on net zero is less bold realism than tired cynicism. The portrayal of climate action as "irrational" still plays into the hands of those with no plan at all. Instead of backing real leadership to make net zero fair and fast, Blair has fueled inertia cloaked as pragmatism. Climate change won’t wait for tech fantasies or political triangulation — it demands action now.

X Guardian

Right narrative

For once Tony Blair is right — current net zero plans are unrealistic and politically damaging. Forcing costly and ideologically driven lifestyle changes on voters while global emissions rise elsewhere is a strategy doomed to fail. Instead of phasing out fossil fuels now, we should invest in innovation — like nuclear and carbon capture — that offers real, long-term solutions without punishing the public.

X Express.co.uk