In a last-minute bid to stave off a backbench rebellion this evening, Rishi Sunak has declared an end to the de facto ban on onshore wind in England.
Since 2015, there’s been an effective moratorium on the construction of new onshore wind farms thanks to a rule that allows a single local objector to block an entire project from going ahead.
Tory green rebels – MPs who are particularly pro-net zero – had threatened to team up with the opposition parties demanding that onshore wind be treated just like any other renewables project. This would have made local opposition far more difficult.
