Suella Braverman said the Government will not “save the planet by bankrupting the British people” over net zero as Rishi Sunak draws up plans to water down his green pledges. 

The Home Secretary would not be drawn on the details of which measures could be changed or ditched, but insisted the Government remained “absolutely committed” to hitting the target of net zero emissions by 2050. 

Ms Braverman did not deny that changes to the net zero plan are going to be made as she told Times Radio: “Our Government is absolutely committed to delivering net zero by 2050 in line with our international agreements and we have achieved a huge amount in the last decade thanks to policies rolled out by this Government on renewable energy, on carbon emissions and getting those down. 

“But ultimately we have to adopt a pragmatic approach, a proportionate approach and one that also serves our goals and we are not going to save the planet by bankrupting the British people.” 

Mr Sunak is due to give a major speech later this week setting out his plans on the subject. 

He is widely expected to announce that the proposed ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol cars will be pushed back from 2030 to 2035. Meanwhile, a planned ban on oil boilers may also be delayed. 

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