UK party conference season splits on climate: Tories cut green homes rule, Greens embrace nuclear
Badenoch moves to scrap low-carbon homebuilding rules as the Green party drops its anti-nuclear stance and Labour stalls on oil-drilling decisions.
What to know
- Badenoch's plan to scrap the Future Homes Standard could remove requirements for solar panels, heat pumps and insulation from roughly 6m needed new UK homes, raising long-term household bills.
- The Green party reversed its long-standing opposition to nuclear power, while Labour deferred decisions on new oil-drilling licences, showing divergent climate strategies across the conference season.
- Industry and academic voices warn that reversing the housing standard would create investor uncertainty and disrupt a supply chain already prepared to implement it before the next election.
- The policy's architect, Jan Rosenow, publicly noted how his own quote was used as the Guardian's headline, underscoring his call for less political point scoring on climate policy.
“Every home constructed today that runs on fossil fuels is a liability for the occupants. It also results in investor uncertainty and disrupts the supply chain that has been gearing up for this. What we need is less political point scoring and more long-term clarity.”
Jan Rosenow, Professor of climate and energy policy, Oxford · The Guardian ↗ · Oct 10
Kemi Badenoch Conservative party leader
Jan Rosenow Professor of climate and energy policy, University of OxfordSimon McWhirter Chief executive, UK Green Building CouncilRobbie MacPherson Kennedy scholar, Harvard University; former head of UK APPG on climateGreen party UK political party
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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Rosenow flags how the Guardian used and headlined his quote
Jan Rosenow, the Oxford professor quoted in the piece, posted on Bluesky noting the Guardian used his line about point scoring as the headline and highlighting his full comment about fossil-fuel homes being a liability.
“I told @theguardian.com "Every home constructed today that runs on fossil fuels is a liability for the occupants." They also made part of my statement the headline: "We need less political point scoring."”
— Jan Rosenow -
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I told @theguardian.com “Every home constructed today that runs on fossil fuels is a liability for the occupants.” They also made part of my statement the headline: “We need less political point scoring.”
2 more of the top 3 · 3 posts in this stretch
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„Die [britischen] Grünen haben in der Atomfrage eine falsche Richtung eingeschlagen, und das wird ihnen erhebliche Unterstützung an der Basis und Stimmen kosten." „Mit Bauzeiten von über 20 Jahren, wiederholten Verzögerungen und enormen Kostenüberschreitungen lenken neue Atomkraftwerke knappe Ressourcen von schnelleren Optionen ab. [...].“…
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Great exposé on climate politics in the UK by the Environmental Editor of the @Guardian @fionaharvey. https://www. theguardian.com/politics/2026/ oct/11/party-conference-season-uk-climate-action-tories-greens-labour?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other Is it just reflecting the climate politics of other nations? # ClimateBrawl
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Guardian analysis weighs conference season's climate fallout
The Guardian's environment editor assessed the three parties' conference announcements, citing experts who warn the Tory reversal would raise bills for roughly 6m needed new homes and unsettle the construction supply chain, while housebuilders say the policy is already largely ready to implement.
“What we need is less political point scoring and more long-term clarity.”
— Jan Rosenow -
2 outlets ‘We need less point scoring’: What party conference season taught us about UK climate action
first by Mastodon, 3d ago · also Guardian
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background
Labour defers decisions on new oil-drilling licences — Labour put decisions on oil-drilling licensing on hold during the conference season, in contrast to the Conservatives' and Greens' more defined policy shifts.
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Badenoch pledges to scrap the Future Homes Standard — At the Conservative party conference, Kemi Badenoch made scrapping the Future Homes Standard — which requires solar panels, heat pumps and high-grade insulation in new homes — a central plank of her platform, alongside plans to abolish the Environment Agency and Natural England.
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Green party votes to abandon opposition to nuclear power — At its conference, the Green party resolved to end its long-held opposition to nuclear power, while still prioritising renewable energy, opening the door for Green MPs to back new nuclear reactors.