BRE CEO Gillian Charlesworth has written an open letter to the Conservative leadership candidates and urged them not to abandon the nation’s net zero commitments.

As Chief Executive of BRE, the UK’s foremost centre for driving positive change in the built environment, I am compelled to reiterate the importance of decarbonising Britain’s buildings. At present, heat and energy use in our buildings makes up a quarter of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions and tackling this will be crucial to reaching net zero by 2050. This is why we urge you, as candidates to become the country’s next Prime Minister, to publish credible and effective plans to decarbonise our homes and buildings.

This year has been tough for our economy, and it will become tougher still as cost-of-living pressures and macroeconomic conditions worsen. However, we will be sentencing families, businesses, and communities to an even more costly and bleak future if we abandon our net zero commitments. We strongly believe that, for the UK to have a resilient economy and a prosperous future, we must continue to act on climate change – and central to this should be driving a green transition in the built environment…Read more