Another announcement today about more cuts to the ‘green’ agenda will effectively kill off the Green Deal. This follows the ending of onshore windfarm subsidies, curbs on solar subsidies and the dropping of regulations to make all new homes ‘zero carbon’ already announced.

Green Deal was launched in 2013 and was hailed as the “biggest home improvement programme since the second world war”, but it failed to make any significant impact with only 10,000 takers. The announcement today will end finance for the Green Deal Finance Company, which issues the underpinning loans.

Daisy Sands, Greenpeace UK Head of Energy, said: “The green deal was far from being a success, but coming right after the scrapping of the zero-carbon homes target, this latest move suggests ministers are giving up on efficiency.”