LONDON — The government faces “enormous challenges” to decarbonize the energy system by its 2035 target, a leading Conservative MP said.

The 2035 goal is “just about doable if everything goes right — and it rarely does in government,” said MP Philip Dunne, who chairs parliament’s influential Environmental Audit Committee.

Dunne also today called for the creation of a Cabinet sub-committee dedicated to cross-government work to hit net zero targets.

He was speaking on a panel at POLITICO’s 2024 energy and climate summit on Thursday afternoon.

The Conservatives have pledged to clean the U.K. energy system by 2035, as a key stepping stone to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Labour has said it would achieve the same thing by 2030. 

The distinction has become a key political dividing line ahead of a general election, expected later this year. Last month, Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho claimed that Labour’s approach would force greater reliance on Chinese supply chains rather than domestic manufacturers.

All parties should work “with the grain” of net zero aims, Dunne said. Winning public backing may require “cash handouts” to local residents from renewables developers in some areas, he said, as well as other behavioral “nudges.”

Speaking on the same panel, Mark Owen-Lloyd, representing the solar developer Photovolt, described Labour’s target as “impossible.” He said that “2035 is doable,” but only with much speedier consenting and planning decisions for renewables projects.