Speaking at a Tory convention, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced his plan to redefine his failing poll numbers to prepare for next year’s election, which is widely projected to be easily won by Labour, with the current Keir Starmer leadership being a stand-in for Tony Blair’s return as the power behind the seat. Sunak in September canceled or postponed some of the insane official deadlines for getting to net-zero on the carbon front, trying to distinguish himself from Labour policies. Under Sunak’s “new approach,” a 2030 ban on the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars has been delayed by five years, the 2035 phaseout of gas boiler sales has been loosened, and landlords will not be obliged to insulate their rental properties to higher standards. This has thus far not changed his falling poll numbers.
Sunak has now announced the cancellation of the high-speed rail development project, scrapping the second half of the project (HS2) to extend the London-to-Birmingham branch to Manchester in the north. This is being loudly condemned by the cities in the north and many others. Sunak said the HS2 was the “ultimate example of the old consensus,” and that “the facts have changed and the right thing to do when the facts have changed is to have the courage to change direction.” This “courage” has a very Green and City of London smell to it.
