Ban on gas boilers should come forward to 2033, says climate tsar

Net zero architect Chris Skidmore has said the UK has fallen behind in the delivery of net zero and has called for a “rooftop solar revolution”

Britain should ban the sale of new gas boilers within the next ten years.

That’s one of the recommendations included in the leaked net zero review written by the government’s net zero tsar, which suggests decarbonisation of heating is feasible if the government “turbocharge” the rollout of low carbon alternatives, including heat pumps.

Former Science Minister Chris Skidmore noted that his conversations with industry leaders proved the feasibility of bringing forward the measure two years earlier than the current deadline of 2035.

The wide-ranging 340-page net zero review also calls for a “rooftop revolution” –  Britain needs to cover buildings’ rooftops in solar panels to hit its net zero targets, Mr Skidmore suggests.

In his report, he said: “We need the full-scale deployment of solar, including through “a rooftop revolution” that removes the existing constraints and barriers to solar panel deployment across residential and commercial buildings in the UK.”

The Tory MP, commissioned under Liz Truss‘s government to set out his recommendations in his net zero review, said the UK must go faster in delivering net zero – Mr Skidmore stressed that the government needs to be more consistent with its own climate policies.

Chris Skidmore calls net zero “the growth opportunity of the 21st century”. He added: “Moving quickly must include spending money. We know that investing in net zero today will be cheaper than delaying, as well as increasing the economic and climate benefits.”

In the report, it is also stated: “The review recognises we have fallen behind, but it sets out how we can be world-leading in these areas once again. We need to remove the barriers that are in place at the moment.”

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