Boris Johnson has said he went “far too fast” on net zero during his time in office, it has been reported.
But the Tory former prime minister warned against “junking net zero altogether”.
It comes after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch vowed to ditch world-leading climate change legislation in a move condemned as a “catastrophic mistake” by Mr Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May.
Mrs Badenoch last week announced that if she became prime minister her party would repeal the Climate Change Act which sets targets for cutting greenhouse gases to zero overall, known as net zero.
Mr Johnson said the goal to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, which he once championed, should be delayed.
His comments come in an upcoming book called Prosperity Through Growth, according to The Telegraph.
The newspaper said he told one of the book’s authors: “I think net zero, we went far too fast. And I’ve got to be honest about that, I got carried away by the idea that sustainable and renewable forms of energy could fill the gap.
“When the price went up and the Ukraine thing happened, it was obvious that that wouldn’t work. And I think we did allow some more hydrocarbons but I think what you’ve got to do now is just say you’ve got to see.”
Mr Johnson also backed Sir Tony Blair’s criticism of efforts to limit fossil fuels.
The New Labour prime minister earlier this year argued that “any strategy based on either ‘phasing out’ fossil fuels in the short term or limiting consumption is a strategy doomed to fail”.
Mr Johnson said: “Blair was completely right. It’s too expensive for ordinary people. It’s too fast. But I think we should be careful about junking net zero altogether, because I think a lot of people out there do worry about the environment and don’t want to feel their government is just completely abandoning the (agenda).
“All you say is, we’re still going to go for net zero, but you know, it’s going to take a bit longer to get there.”
As prime minister, Mr Johnson urged all nations to commit to reaching net zero carbon emissions by the middle of the century, with ambitious 2030 targets and long-term strategies to put them on track.
The Climate Change Act was brought in by the last Labour government in 2008 and committed the UK to cut climate emissions by 80% by 2050, with five-yearly carbon budgets to keep the country on track towards the goal.
Baroness May of Maidenhead, as she is now known as a peer, increased the ambition of the Act while in office to cutting greenhouse gases to zero overall by 2050.
Lady May said she was “deeply disappointed” by Mrs Badenoch’s “retrograde” plans to ditch net zero, announced ahead of the annual Tory conference in Manchester.
Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho will set out the party’s proposals when she makes her speech at the gathering on Monday.
