‘Wishful thinking’ for Sunak to say UK on course to meet emissions targets, says Climate Change Committee boss – as it happened

Rishi Sunak speaks to apprentices as he visits Writtle University College near Chelmsford. Photograph: WPA/Getty Images

5.21pm BST

Afternoon summary

• Rishi Sunak has vowed to press ahead with watering down key green measures despite intense criticism, because he still believes the UK will hit its net zero targets. But Chris Stark, the chief executive of the Climate Change Committee, has said that the PM’s claim that the government is on course to meet its emissions target for 2030 is “wishful thinking”. (See 2.35pm.)

• Carmakers in the UK will still be mandated to sell electric vehicles from 1 January or face fines, despite Rishi Sunak’s U-turn on banning new petrol and diesel vehicles, under plans expected to be confirmed by ministers this week.

• The Bank of England has kept interest rates on hold for the first time in almost two years in a knife-edge decision underscoring the risks to the economy, leaving borrowing costs at 5.25% and warning that rates will remain high to tackle inflation.

• Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, has said that the current economic situation makes tax cuts “virtually impossible”. (See 4.29pm.)

• Boris Johnson is to avoid censure for breaking the rules on ex-ministers taking up new jobs despite the government accepting he committed a breach over his appointment as a Daily Mail columnist.

Rishi Sunak speaks to apprentices Kate Watson and Ruby Holland during sheep drenching at Writtle University College, an agricultural college near Chelmsford. Photograph: Alastair Grant/AFP/Getty Images

Updated at 5.23pm BST

4.51pm BST

Hunt claims goverment has not yet taken final decision about whether or not to scrap Manchester leg of HS2

In his interview with LBC’s Tonight with Andrew Marr, Jeremy Hunt also claimed that the government had not yet taken a final decision about whether or not to scrap phase two of HS2.

At the end of last week it was reported that Rishi Sunak had “made up his mind” to cancel phase two of HS2, from Birmingham to Manchester, and also to cancel the final few miles into central London, leading to HS2 ending at Old Oak Common, and not reaching Euston.

On Monday Richard Holden, a transport minister, repeatedly refused to commit to the Manchester phase two, and to the Euston extension, when he took questions in the Commons. At his press conference yesterday Sunak also ducked a question about HS2.

Asked if the government was committed to the Manchester leg, Hunt told Marr:

I’m not going to comment on discussions that are happening at the moment, because as chancellor, you would expect me to be having discussions with the prime minister, when major infrastructure projects overrun in their costs. And that’s what we’re facing with HS2.

Hunt said MPs would be worried if they thought costs were running out of control.

But he went on:

Let me say to you now, Andrew, we haven’t made any decisions on this. We are looking at all the options. But we do need to find a way of delivering infrastructure projects that doesn’t cost taxpayers billions and billions of pounds.

Updated at 5.00pm BST