Chris Packham taking Rishi Sunak to High Court after delaying 'essential' petrol and diesel car ban
Chris Packham has already raised more than £60,000
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TV presenter Chris Packham has raised more than £61,000 in his bid to take Rishi Sunak and the Government to the High Court to overturn net zero pledges including the 2030 car ban.
The host of Springwatch has called out the Prime Minister, saying the Government “unlawfully” delayed or abandoned key climate targets after his September announcement.
He said this was being done to help motorists by expanding the electric car charging network and allowing the upfront cost of EVs to fall.
WATCH NOW: Rishi Sunak delays 2030 petrol and diesel car ban
In response, Chris Packham is raising £75,000 to take his case to the High Court, with the presenter asking whether the Prime Minister is a “climate leader or a climate loser”.
He has applied for a judicial review of the Government’s net zero delays and has already raised £61,000 from more than 2,100 backers.
Packham claims that the Government made the announcements without informing or seeking advice from the Climate Change Committee.
The wildlife expert said he would be looking to take action against Rishi Sunak, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Claire Coutinho and the Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper.
He said: “The Prime Minister and his Government have imperiled us in the face of climate catastrophe, delaying essential climate targets around vehicle emissions and gas boiler replacement.
“I can announce that I’m legally challenging that decision and I need your help. Our politicians are not beyond the law.”
He added that the case will set a precedent that governments and politicians around the world cannot act “on a whim” without facing legal consequences.
Packham, who recently presented a documentary about whether it is “ethically acceptable” for people to break the law when protesting the Government, described the changes to the net zero policies as “spontaneous” and “ill-judged”.
Rowan Smith, a solicitor at Leigh Day, said: “If the Government’s lawyers are correct, then the secretary of state would have carte blanche to rip up climate change policy at the drop of the hat, without any repercussions whatsoever.
“That’s why this legal challenge is so important: if successful, it will mean that the secretary of state has to keep to their promises to have in place policies that will enable carbon budgets to be met.”
Packham regularly updates his followers on X, formerly known as Twitter, about his own electric car and how it is better for the environment than his previous “green diesel” vehicle.
A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “We strongly reject these claims and will be robustly defending this challenge.
“We have overdelivered on every carbon budget to date and these changes keep us on track to meet our legal net zero commitments.
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Rishi Sunak announced the net zero delays in September
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“We routinely publish future emissions projections across all sectors and will continue to do so.”