Boris Johnson warned plans to punish homeowners who fail to buy costly green boilers could spark riots

BORIS Johnson has been warned that potty plans to punish homeowners who fail to buy costly green boilers could spark riots.

No 10 yesterday scrambled to defuse fears of huge fines for those not switching to eco alternatives such as heat pumps.

But it refused to rule out possible stealth taxes and gas price rises. Some Tory MPs say the Government is being dishonest about the reality of its aim to make the UK carbon neutral by 2050.

Proposals would see gas boilers banned in new-builds by 2025 and stripped out of other homes by 2035.

Alternatives cost upwards of £10,000 to install and hundreds a year to maintain.

Critics say they do not work as well as gas heating. But ministers are also looking at switching subsidies on gas to electric to make it costlier to keep gas boilers.

In today’s Sun, former Tory minister Steve Baker writes: “The elite policymakers who govern our lives agree we should reduce our carbon emissions but they have not been up front about the cost for working families.” 

He hints current proposals could spark unrest not seen since the 1990s, saying: “The cost of Net Zero could deliver a political crisis greater than the Poll Tax.” 

The PM’s spokesman said there were no plans to fine people for using fossil fuel appliances they have installed or for refusing to switch. 

Asked to explicitly rule out “any financial penalties” the spokesman was more vague.

He said: “We want to ensure there are incentives for the public to transition to low carbon alternatives by making these choices affordable and efficient and easy.”