Rishi Sunak was accused of scrapping policies that never existed in a punchy interview after he watered down Britain’s net zero plans.
The prime minister was taken to task over his claims to have scrapped green policies which would have “forced you to have seven different bins”. Mr Sunak was also questioned about having “scrapped” plans to tax meat, people going on holiday and for the government to control how many people can travel in a car.
The morning after a hastily convened Downing Street press briefing, Mr Sunak was quizzed on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme by Nick Robinson, who told the PM: “You said you wanted a better, more honest debate. You then went on to say ‘I’ve scrapped a series of proposals’, so let me ask you about them.
“Where was this proposal for the government to put a tax on meat, that you had to scrap with such fanfare?
“Where was the proposal for compulsory car sharing that you say will be scrapped?
“And was the government considering forcing people to have seven bins? Another proposal you say you have scrapped.”
Mr Sunak said “a range of different things have been proposed by lots of different people” and cited a report by the independent Climate Change Committee which suggested the measures.
But, in a fiery exchange, Mr Robinson hit back, saying: “Hold on a second prime minister, you stand up with the authority of prime minister in Downing Street and you say you’re scrapping a series of proposals, and when I asked you about them yourself, you say ‘ oh, somebody considered and it was in the appendix of this document’.
“There’s nothing to be scrapped, which is why your former environment says you’re pretending to halt frightening proposals that simply do not exist.”
Mr Sunak said: “I reject that entirely. These are all things that have been raised by very credible people.”