Sunak said the debate around getting to net zero had "thrown up a range of worrying proposals" which he said would "never happen" under his government. A general election is due by January 2025 at the very latest, but is expected next year.
“We will never impose these unnecessary and heavy-handed measures on you, the British people, but we will still meet our international commitments and hit net zero by 2050,” Sunak vowed in an impromptu speech.
Laying waste to a number of commitments, Sunak said: "The proposal to create new taxes to discourage flying – I’ve scrapped that too."
The announcement comes as part of the government’s wider review of its net zero practices, which include scrapping proposals to tax meat and pushing back plans to phase out cars with combustion engines from 2030 to 2035.
Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said the travel and tourism industry was "already working hard to reduce carbon emissions”, highlighting in particular the aviation sector’s plan to more widely adopt sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) to reach net zero by 2050.
However, he said government investment would be vital if the sector is to achieve its SAF goals.
"The prime minister’s announcement today [Wednesday] shows the debate around how to achieve net zero is a significant and live one, and Abta is in close contact with all political stakeholders to make sure the interests of its members and their customers are taken into account."
Sunak’s newly-watered down net zero agenda has drawn staunch criticism from environmental groups, with Greenpeace UK’s policy director Doug Parr saying the prime minister was “playing politics” with the climate.
“He claims he’s helping ordinary people by playing politics with the climate, but we know the real winners will be big corporations like the oil and gas lobby,” Parr said. “Sunak must explain how we will meet our net zero commitments by rowing back on all of the policies to get us anywhere near it.”
New research from travel insurance firm InsureandGo, meanwhile, reveals 82% of Brits want more government action to address the climate crisis and support sustainable travel.
The data shows frequent travellers and eco-conscious people were the most in favour of stringent measures, while 25% of respondents were in favour of new taxes on air travel.
"The significant increase from last summer to this year in the number of travellers whose eyes have been opened to this issue underlines the importance of sustainable travel to the British population,” added InsureandGo chief executive Chris Rolland.
