Rishi Sunak to make it easier for onshore wind farms to be approved

Rishi Sunak has moved to prevent a Tory rebellion over new onshore wind farms by making it easier for them to be approved.

New rules will change council planning requirements from unanimous agreement to simply demonstrating local support.

It follows an intervention by former ministers, including ex-Prime Minister Liz Truss, who felt progress was too slow.

The exact mechanism has yet to be agreed.

Sir Alok Sharma, former Cop26 president, told the BBC he wanted to see the "outdated" right of an individual to effectively veto a wind farm to be removed.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "The current situation we have is that just one objection can prevent a wind farm from being built.

"I mean, clearly, that is not a community veto. And frankly, I don't think it's a sensible way for a planning system to operate."

He added there should be a "direct linkage" between communities who accept onshore wind farms and them getting a direct benefit, like a discount on bills.