Rishi Sunak scales back green and transport policies in funding showdown with Labour

He also watered down plans to strip out gas and oil boilers as well as scrapping policies that would force landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of their homes.

However, in positive news for many off-grid homes in rural parts of Yorkshire, the Government will now put back the ban on boilers relying on heating oil in off-grid homes from 2026 to 2035

Mr Sunak insisted the UK was already ahead of allies in reducing emissions and could not impose “unacceptable costs” on British families.

The Prime Minister, during a press conference following his speech in London yesterday, also refused to guarantee that HS2 will ever connect Manchester and central London.

Asked after his speech at No 10 whether HS2 would form part of those changes and whether he could commit to the line linking Euston and central Manchester, he said: “I’m not going to speculate on lots of the other things that people will be talking about.”

Speaking from his press briefing room in front of a podium with the Tory conference slogan of “long-term decisions for a brighter future”, he claimed previous governments – both Tory and Labour – had sought to get to net zero “simply by wishing it”.

It comes as the Tories look to shift the question of funding policies on to Labour ahead of party conference season next month.

The Conservatives yesterday asked Labour to rule out a whole range of potential green policies, as well as how it will pay for the ones which it will now scrap.

It comes after Richard Holden, the transport minister, accused Labour of spending £140 billion on HS2, while not denying that the Government are set to scrap key legs to save money.