Dhe British government has made another U-turn. Under pressure from within his own ranks, Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak overturned a ban on the construction of new onshore wind farms on Tuesday, British media reported. Previously, several dozen MPs, including Sunak’s predecessors Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, had called for changes and threatened to vote against a bill to level living standards across the country (“Levelling Up”). The government is now approving the construction of new turbines if the municipalities concerned give the go-ahead.
The move is seen as further evidence that Sunak does not enjoy authority in parts of the Tory faction. The government had previously withdrawn the Leveling Up law before a vote. Dozens of Tories had threatened to vote against the bill unless the government changed the target of building 300,000 homes a year into a recommendation.
The construction of new wind farms on land has been prohibited in Great Britain for years by a moratorium. Sunak had supported the measure in the party’s internal election campaign in the summer, but then lost to Truss. The short-term prime minister wanted to lift the ban, but had to leave Downing Street first. Observers were amazed that Johnson also sided with the wind farm advocates – he had made no move to change the rule during his tenure until July 2022. His supporters blame Sunak for Johnson’s downfall.
