A council climate lead has accused Rishi Sunak of “kicking the can down the road” following the Prime Minister’s rollback of some government climate commitments.

Mr Sunak today confirmed that several key environmental policies would be revised, including pushing back bans on combustion engine cars and gas boilers.

The Prime Minister stressed that he remained committed to meeting key net zero targets while expressing a desire for a “pragmatic, proportionate and realistic approach.”

But the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead’s climate cabinet member Karen Davies lamented the announcement and delays to environmental pledges.

She said: “I am disappointed but not surprised by the Government’s delays on their climate commitments, given the lack of urgency we have seen in making the infrastructure improvements necessary to make them possible.

“If the Prime Minister delays the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars and fossil fuel boilers whilst keeping the target of net zero emissions by 2050 then he is just kicking the can down the road.”

She added the RBWM administration is “fully committed” to net zero and warned that “any watering down of the commitment from Government will make it harder for us to achieve.”

The government had previously resolved to ban the sale of new pure petrol and diesel cars by 2030, but Mr Sunak’s announcement postponed this to 2035.

Gas boilers were also set to be banned in new homes from 2025, but this has now been pushed back by ten years – although a 50 per cent increase in the boiler upgrade scheme was announced.

Councillor Davies noted that the council’s plans to roll out electric vehicle charging infrastructure are reliant on the government remaining committed funding grants.

She added: “This will also create uncertainty for residents and businesses when they are making decisions around their own investments such as buying new cars or replacing their boilers, which will make supporting the transition to electric vehicles and net zero heating systems more challenging.”

Mr Sunak’s climbdown was met with criticism from numerous high-profile figures, including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, former cabinet minister Zac Goldsmith and former US Vice-President Al Gore.

The government committed in 2019 to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that reaching net zero carbon dioxide emissions worldwide by 2050 would be needed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees centigrade.