Burnham criticised for EV and North Sea approach amid climate crisis
Fri 14 Aug 2026 19.51 BST
Andy Burnham has been criticised for moving to cut electric vehicle (EV) sales targets and accept North Sea drilling at a time of devastating wildfires caused by the climate emergency.
The prime minister for the first time acknowledged on Friday that the climate crisis was behind hundreds of wildfires that have ripped across the parts of the UK.
The scale of the disaster has prompted the government to bring in the military, ban the sale of disposable barbecues and activate the national alert system to issue safety advice to people across England and Wales in areas at risk on Friday night.
However, Burnham was also accused of failing to take the push for net zero seriously enough, as the government took steps towards watering down EV targets on the same day.
The government on Friday launched a consultation on cutting the target for new EVs to as little as 50% of all new cars in 2030, down from 80% under existing rules, in proposals that could add millions of tonnes a year to the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... es-targets