Presidential Roundtable summary: day one infrastructure priorities for the next UK Parliament

The UK’s next parliament will be a pivotal one.

It will be the last full parliament before 2030. That date is a benchmark for many of the UK’s interim net zero goals and marks the end of the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The cost-of-living crisis is impacting on government spending and public priorities and behaviours. Balancing the needs of people with the needs of the planet will require clear, decisive leadership from the next government and significant investment in infrastructure.

This presidential roundtable discussed where the UK is today, and where it needs to get to in the next parliament to be on course to achieve net zero by 2050.

It explored the role of the government in unlocking the infrastructure sector’s true net zero potential, including the immediate actions the next government should take.

The discussion primarily covered:

• the need for bold leadership and clear, stable policymaking
• the case for public investment in infrastructure alongside the need to unlock more private investment and improve productivity
• the challenges holding back public behaviour change and need for a positive vision of net zero to help address them
• priorities for the next government in transport, energy and domestic heating