Tories pledges to fully scrap carbon taxes on business

The Conservative Party has said it would scrap carbon taxes on British industry if it won power, arguing such a move would protect jobs in energy-intensive sectors. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has argued the carbon tax regime is contributing to deindustrialisation and she wants to remove it "in its entirety". This would include the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which aims to limit the amount of carbon that can be emitted each year by the heavy industry, power and aviation sectors. Labour said the Tory proposal would "hammer industry", while the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), a climate action think tank, said firms would still face carbon charges from the European Union. The Conservatives had already proposed removing the ETS as it applies to electricity generation. The UK ETS was established in 2021 to replace a similar European scheme following Brexit. It was brought in when the Conservatives were in power and Badenoch helped support the scheme's introduction during her time as a Treasury minister. But Badenoch has made clear that under her leadership the Conservatives believe the target of net zero by 2050 - meaning the UK must cut carbon emissions until