Keir Starmer has confirmed that the UK will cut carbon emissions by 81% by 2035.

Speaking at the COP29 climate conference at Baku, Azerbaijan, the prime minister said the government would not “tell people how to live their lives”. But he said the target was vital to the UK’s future prosperity and energy security”.

“Make no mistake, the race is on for the clean energy jobs of the future, the economy of tomorrow, and I don’t want to be in the middle of the pack – I want to get ahead of the game”.

The target is based on recommendations from the UK’s independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) and aims to limit warming to 1.5C compared with 1990 levels.

Sir Keir said it would form the basis of the UK’s updated national climate plan, known as the Nationally Determined Contribution, which the government is required to submit in support of the Paris climate agreement.

Professor Piers Forster, interim chair of the CCC, described the new target as “very welcome” and “feasible”. But he warned that the UK needed to see faster action on electric vehicles, heat pumps and tree planning.

He also told BBC Radio 4’s the UK “if we can make the cost of electricity cheaper for everyone that will really incentivise trying to decarbonise as fast as possible”. 

The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, said:

“The only way to protect current generations is by making Britain a clean energy superpower, and the only way to protect future generations is by tackling the climate crisis.”

He said Britain was “back in the business of climate leadership”. He said:

“We will cut emissions across the country, delivering for our environment and ending our exposure to spiking fossil fuel markets.”

Friends of the Earth’s head of campaigns, Rosie Downes, said:

“With the warning signals flashing red, a planet battered by increasingly severe floods, storms and heatwaves, and the election of climate denier President Trump, the need for climate leadership by the UK has never been more urgent.

“Keir Starmer’s 2035 carbon-reduction pledge is a step in the right direction but must be seen as a floor to the level of ambition not a ceiling. Deeper, faster cuts are needed to help avert the climate collision course we are on.

“Furthermore, if these targets are to be credible, they must be backed by a clear plan to ensure they are met. The UK’s existing 2030 commitment is currently way off course.

“Climate action isn’t just good for the planet, it benefits people and the economy too. The UK government must show it means business by drawing up a new and ambitious climate action plan to deliver a cleaner, safer fairer future for us all with warmer homes, cheaper energy, cleaner air, better public transport and well-paid green jobs.”

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