Tory net zero cost claim overstated by £500bn in spreadsheet error

Kemi Badenoch’s flagship Conservative conference policy document overstated the cost of reaching net zero by nearly £500bn, apparently due to a spreadsheet error that double-counted figures, citing a £957bn estimate that is twice the Climate Change Committee’s actual total. The error appears in The Right Way, a 100-page document justifying the party’s decision to scrap the UK’s 2050 net zero target. The CCC’s Sixth Carbon Budget figures actually total £478bn, with the mistake likely stemming from a tally that included column totals, doubling the sum. A CCC spokesperson said the committee doesn’t recognise the number and reiterated an offer to discuss its advice with Badenoch. The CCC’s latest analysis puts net zero costs at about £110bn, or 0.2% of GDP annually. The inflated figure was previously published by the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Spectator, and was spotted by Carbon Brief. The document, modelled on a 1976 Thatcher-era report, claims to provide an accurate diagnosis of the UK’s problems.