Kay Burley accused the government of “having a wobble” over the environment after voters rejected the expansion of a road charging scheme in London.
The Sky News presenter grilled levelling up secretary Michael Gove in the wake of last week’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election, where the Tories narrowly defeated Labour.
The campaign was dominated by London mayor Sadiq Khan’s controversial plan to expand the capital’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), which will see drivers of less environmentally-friendly cars charged £12.50 a day.
Rishi Sunak has subsequently hinted that the government could row back on some of its green commitments, such as the plan to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.
Burley told Gove: “You guys are having a wobble because of what happened in Uxbridge and a few hundred votes in relation to ULEZ.”
Gove replied: “No, I think it’s important to draw distinctions here. The ULEZ expansion is about asking hardworking people to pay a significant amount more during a cost of living crisis.
“My view is that the way in which you build support for the environmental change that we need is not by penalising people in this way, it’s by showing leadership across the board.”
The minister went on to confirm that the petrol car ban would go ahead, despite mounting opposition from Tory MPs and apparent confusion over the government’s position yesterday.
Appearing on the BBC afterwards, Gove was told by presenter John Kay that “a lot of people think the Conservatives are going soft on climate ambitions”.
But Gove said: “Our approach to the environment is thoughtful, rigorous and informed by the science.
“It is absolutely the case that man-made climate change is having an effect, that we do need to take action. Among the G7 countries we have been the fastest to decarbonise.
“But critically we need to continue to make sure that we take people with us.”