Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he will not be “telling people how to live their lives” as part of plans to reach the UK’s new emissions reduction target.
The Prime Minister is expected to pledge to reduce emissions by 81% compared with 1990 levels by 2035, in line with the recommendation of the Government’s advisors on climate change.
Lifestyle changes will be required to meet strict emissions reduction targets but Labour has not set out what this could mean practically for Britons.
Sir Keir was asked if he was prepared to get more people to change their heating systems and tell them to take fewer flights and eat less meat to reach that target.
He said: “I’ll set out our goal later on today, but look, it will be ambitious, and that’s measured not by telling people what to do.
“It’s measured by making sure that we get to clean power by 2030 – that’s the single most important target on the way to the emissions.
“And that will bring with it lower bills for people, for their energy it’ll give them independence, so that tyrants like (Vladimir) Putin can’t put his boot on our throat, causing all sorts of difficulties for our energy bills,” the Prime Minister told broadcasters in Baku.
He said the target was “difficult” but “achievable”, adding: “But it’s not about telling people how to live their lives. I’m not interested in that. I am interested in making sure that their energy bills are stable, that we’ve got energy independence, and that we also, along the way, pick up the next generation of jobs.”
Sir Keir is one of few world leaders attending COP29 in Azerbaijan where the Taliban have also sent a delegation.
Downing Street has said his attendance here is important to showcase the UK as a global leader on tackling global warming.
The climate conference in the oil state comes days after the re-election of Donald Trump, who is expected to boost fossil fuels, roll back green incentives domestically and pull his country out of the Paris climate agreement again.
Wealthier countries are facing pressure over delivering finance to help poor countries cope with climate change, and increasing their ambitions on emissions cuts.
In 2019, the Tories pledged £11.6 billion to help poorer countries deal with climate change over five years to 2025/26.
The Labour Government will honour that commitment, but the Prime Minister has said it will not be unveiling new UK commitments to climate finance through to 2035.
