Yesterday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defined his premiership – he announced a shameful, weak and desperate political decision that will trash the economy, tarnish our reputation and add billions in costs to families and households.

There are so many inconsistencies on Sunak’s plans. For example, he says he doesn’t want to punish low-income families with the high costs related to green policies. However, renters, especially low-income tenants, will face higher energy bills as a result of his decision to scrap plans to force private landlords to upgrade their properties to make them more energy efficient. I receive so many emails from constituents whose landlords will not upgrade their single-glazed windows or add necessary insulation. Once again, Sunak is leaving private rented tenants out in the cold.

Whether he likes it or not, the green energy transition is happening. President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act is encouraging investment and creating green jobs; the EU’s Green Deal Industrial Plan hopes to follow suit. Not only has Mr Sunak infuriated his own MPs, but also environmentalists, international allies and businesses – Boris Johnson has criticised his former Chancellor, accusing him of “losing ambition” for Britain’s future. The UN has questioned the UK’s commitment to action, the Climate Change Committee has warned of possible legal action. Even the Speaker of the House of Commons has lambasted Sunak’s decision to announce a major policy shift in front of the cameras, rather than addressing MPs. By doing this, Sunak hopes to avoid debate and accountability.

What about businesses? Sunak has justified the announcement by saying he doesn’t want to force businesses to act too quickly. But he is completely wrong. Businesses are already ahead of the curve and they are changing in order to meet net zero targets. For example, leading car brands such as Ford, Vauxhall and Volvo Cars have already pledged to go fully electric this decade and had made manufacturing decisions with the 2030 ban in mind. And the car industry has criticised this sudden change and betrayal of climate ambition – Ford’s UK chair Lisa Brankin has responded: “Our business needs three things from the UK government: ambition, commitment and consistency. A relaxation of 2030 would undermine all three.” This is absolutely damning. Labour will keep to the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cards. Above all, businesses need stability. But this is a car crash government who is going from one crisis to the next – led by a Prime Minister whose programme gets leaked to the media, panicking calls his Ministers and hastily announces a major policy shift.

Sunak says the UK is still committed to its legally binding target of reaching net zero by 2050. But how we will achieve this when he has just scraped the means? The truth is – this Prime Minister cannot grasp the opportunities that a green transition can provide for jobs, security and our economy. For this reason alone, he needs to step aside. It is clearer than ever that Labour is the only party that can truly achieve net zero and tackle the climate emergency. We believe in the science and are ready with a fully-costed and detailed plan on how we would enact a green and just transition.