"The purpose of the speech was to create dividing lines with Labour," said a No 10 insider. "The fight is the point." What they didn't expect was for the speech to be leaked 72 hours early, and chaos to ensue.
When the BBC broke the story on Tuesday, "sheer bloody panic" broke out in No 10 at the furious response from some businesses, environmental groups and some high-profile, green-minded Tories.
But despite the initial explosive response, after Sunak's speech several Tory MPs said they felt "quite comfortable" with the changes. "I don't know why people were so irate," said one. "The net zero 2050 target hasn't changed.
We'll still get there." They welcomed what they described as Sunak's "grown up" approach to the issue. "People like politicians with principles and we haven't had one leading the party for a while," they said.
This story is from the September 22, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the September 22, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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