Urging Conservative alternative to Labour including tax cuts for home improvements and strong backin

Sam Hall, the director of the Conservative Environment Network, told MailOnline: 'Some within the Conservative movement sought to interpret the Uxbridge by-election as a wider rejection of environmental policy. That is a mistake.

'It was a very targeted rejection of the expansion of the Ulez which would have been an additional cost on people that are trying to drive into London.

'I don't think it said anything broader than that and I think it would be electorally foolish for the Conservatives to row back more broadly on environmental policy as a result.'

Cop28 begins on Thursday and runs until December 12 in Dubai, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the King among those attending.

Amid record-high temperatures, deluges, droughts and wildfires, leaders are convening for another round of United Nations climate talks that seek to curb a centuries-long trend of humans spewing ever more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Mr Sunak last month announced he was pushing back the ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles to 2035 and scrapping plans to force landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their properties.

The PM also promised a new exemption for around one-fifth of households from having to replace their gas boilers with low-carbon alternatives.

He claimed his action would save households up to £15,000 over the coming years, while Mr Sunak insisted Britain would still meet its Net Zero target by 2050.

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