Chris Packham has successfully come to an agreement with the government regarding two legal challenges he raised against its decision to either eliminate or postpone certain environmental policies. The well-known TV presenter initiated legal proceedings against the former Conservative government in late 2023, claiming that it acted unlawfully by delaying key initiatives intended to help the UK achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

According to the law firm Leigh Day, Packham has reached a “legal settlement” with the new Labour administration, which acknowledged that the previous Tory government had acted unlawfully by either removing or diluting climate policies. The government stated that it decided to settle both cases in order to reassess its decisions while updating its carbon budget delivery plan (CBDP).

The CBDP is designed to detail how the UK plans to meet the targets established in the sixth carbon budget, which extends until 2037, as part of broader efforts to attain net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In 2023, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that multiple programs within the CBDP would be canceled or reduced, leading Packham to pursue legal action.

Among the adjusted measures were a postponement of the ban on new diesel and petrol car sales from 2030 to 2035, a reduction in the phase-out of gas boilers from a full phase-out by 2035 down to 80%, and eliminating requirements for energy efficiency upgrades in homes. Sunak defended these changes by stating that meeting net zero goals was imposing “unacceptable costs on hard-pressed British families,” especially during a cost-of-living crisis intensified by rising energy prices.

In May, a High Court judge ruled that the government’s approval of the revised CBDP was unlawful, determining that the decision was “simply not justified by the evidence.” Packham criticized the previous administration’s actions as “reckless and irresponsible short-termism” and expressed satisfaction that the new government has committed to improved measures.

The nature presenter will also have an opportunity to meet with Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Net Zero, “to discuss future progress in tackling climate breakdown,” according to his legal representatives. A scheduled hearing at the High Court for November will no longer take place, as confirmed by Leigh Day. A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero indicated that both legal challenges were carefully considered and settled based on a commitment to reassess the contested decisions while updating their carbon budget delivery plan.