TORY leader Kemi Badenoch has dismissed fears her Net Zero scepticism would put her at odds with the King if she was PM.
She said she would rip up the climate commitment regardless of the views of the environmentalist monarch.
But Ms Badenoch told The Sun: “The King also cares about people’s jobs and industry. He cares about this country’s future. Net Zero is killing this country’s future. So there wouldn’t be any problem.”
King Charles has previously argued for accelerating the legally binding pledge for Britain to hit Net Zero emissions by 2050.
The commitment came under Tory PM Theresa May but has been abandoned by Ms Badenoch.
The current Tory boss insisted she and the King share eco concerns, but that Net Zero is “not a plan”.
She said: “The King is a strong environmental champion. I think that’s great. The Conservative Party believes in the environment.”
But she refused to water down her position, saying: “I don’t think I need to convince him. The PM is there to make sure stuff works.
“Simply calling a bad plan Net Zero and saying that we’re going to do it because of what it’s called is madness. It’s killing jobs, it’s impoverishing people, it’s destroying industry. We can’t manufacture oil. Refining is happening somewhere else. So simply saying Net Zero, Net Zero, Net Zero — that’s not a plan.”
PM Sir Keir Starmer has stuck with the emissions target and is refusing to lift the ban on new North Sea drilling.
His Energy Secretary Ed Miliband insists the UK must get off the “fossil fuel roller coaster” via renewables energy.
But several Labour MPs have broken ranks to demand the UK use its resources amid price rises from the Iran war.
