UK MPs urge government to drop "net zero" from department name

A cross-party committee of UK lawmakers has recommended that the government drop the phrase “net zero” from the name of the department responsible for energy policy, arguing that the term has become increasingly unpopular with the public.

The House of Commons Energy Security and Net Zero Committee said on September 17 that “net zero” had lost much of its previously positive public association, dpa reports. 

The committee linked the shift in attitudes to energy price shocks and the resulting cost-of-living pressures, warning that these developments had weakened the political consensus around reducing Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions to tackle climate change.

The recommendation comes as political divisions over Britain’s energy strategy deepen. The Conservative Party and Reform UK have moved away from the previous consensus on net zero and have called for greater use of the country’s North Sea fossil fuel reserves.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said the party no longer supports the target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Reform UK, meanwhile, has sharply criticised the Labour government’s green energy policies, referring to them as “net stupid zero.”

Energy and Net Zero Minister Martin McCluskey rejected the suggestion that the phrase had become damaging when questioned by broadcasters on September 17.

Speaking to Times Radio, McCluskey said he did not agree with that characterisation and argued that the transition to cleaner energy was also important for reducing Britain’s reliance on foreign fossil fuels.

By Sabina Mammadli