The climate change debate is stuck between two extremes, those who deny climate change altogether, and wish to deny and/or abandon the net zero by 2050 target altogether, and the eco-zealots who wish to forge ahead, further and faster than any other country but with no regard to the cost to people’s lives, nor how much our country has already achieved.

Let’s get one thing clear, I believe that climate change is real. The evidence indicates that there is a man-made component to the warming of the planet.

As custodians of the earth, we have a duty to act, but we must do so in a pragmatic and proportionate way that brings people with us as we take action.

This country should be proud of what we have already achieved as Britain is a world leader in the target of reaching Net Zero by 2050. UK carbon emissions are now at their lowest level per head of the population since 1859.

We have reduced carbon emissions faster than any other large economy by close to 50% since 1990, and by over 35% since 2010 under our current Conservative Government.

This compares to just 22% for France, no change for the USA and an increase in carbon emissions of approximately 300% for China which now accounts for over 25% of the world’s annual carbon emissions.

A few days ago, our Prime Minster made it clear that we cannot meet our climate commitments by penalising the poor or disadvantaged or by imposing eye watering financial burdens on people living in rural counties like Suffolk.

We shall now have a more pragmatic, proportionate, and realistic approach that eases the financial burdens on families. All while doubling down on investing in the new green industries of the future like Suffolk’s offshore wind farms for renewable energy production.

As Britain has already over-delivered it is time to forge a more credible and pragmatic path to Net Zero that is financially credible, and which does not penalise the poor or people living in rural areas.

In rural counties like Suffolk, we rely on our cars, and the cost of transitioning from petrol or diesel to more expensive electric cars by 2030 is estimated to be close to £5,000 per household.

Most families in Suffolk from Ipswich to Needham Market or to Framlingham simply cannot afford to spend an extra £5,000 to transition to an electric car.

The Government is therefore easing the transition to electric vehicles from 2030 to 2035 – which is in line with similar countries like Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Australia, Canada and US states including California.

After 2035 petrol and diesel cars will now still be able to be bought and sold second-hand. There will also be no compulsory new rules on carpooling.

However, because the production costs are beginning to fall, and the range of electric vehicles and necessary charging infrastructure is slowly improving, we can still expect that most new cars sold by 2030 (particularly in more urban areas) will be electric.

But because the upfront costs for families are still so high, and because many are still struggling with the cost of living, it will be for the consumer, not the Government to choose when to change to an electric vehicle.

A delay until 2035 will also allow time for the charging point infrastructure to grow and electric car battery ranges – which can be very short and impractical - to increase in line with the needs of car users, particularly those living in Suffolk and other rural counties.

There are also important and pragmatic changes to rules around new boilers. Around one in four homes in much of the central Suffolk area are off grid and/or have oil powered central heating.

Previously proposed changes to mandate the installation of heat pumps from 2026 for homes that required new boilers would have cost off-grid Suffolk households between £15,000 and £40,000. This was simply unaffordable for many off-grid households.

Much more time will now be given to both on and off grid households to make the change to heat pumps.

Homes will no longer be forced to rip out an existing boiler and heating system, and around a fifth of all households will be now also exempt from having to do so at all, due to reasons of practicality and/or affordability.

However, to incentivise households to make the switch to heat pumps that wish to do so, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme cash grants will now be increased to £7,500 per household to encourage more homes to install heat pumps when they come to replace their existing boilers.

In what is sometimes a heated and polarised debate about climate change, we now have a more pragmatic and realistic Government plan to both improve our energy security and to reduce our carbon emissions.

If we want to bring people with us on this important energy journey, the future must be about consent, not imposition, honesty, not obfuscation, and pragmatism, not ideology.

So, let’s celebrate our successes and be proud to be a world leader in reaching net zero and reducing our carbon emissions but let’s also ensure that our energy policies going forwards continue to be more mindful of reducing energy costs to rural households and to poorer homes.