Caroline Lucas is calling on the government to reverse a decision to scrap improved energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector.

The government had been due to introduce energy efficiency targets for landlords in England and Wales next year and from 2028 for existing tenancies.

However, the policy, which was intended to reduce bills for tenants, was scrapped last year by the Prime Minister.

In a speech announcing the U-turn, Rishi Sunak said: “Some property owners would have been forced to make expensive upgrades in just two years’ time. That’s just wrong, so those plans will be scrapped and while we will continue to subsidise energy efficiency, we will never force any household to do it.”

Ms Lucas, the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, has put forward a motion in Parliament calling on the government to reverse its decision and require private landlords to bring their properties up to level C on their energy performance certificates (EPC) by 2027.

She highlighted that data from last winter found there were almost 5,000 excess deaths in England, which she said underlined the need for warmer and more energy-efficient homes.

Ms Lucas said: “Improving the energy efficiency of our homes would result in lower energy bills and provide genuine security, ensuring everyone has a warm, comfortable home.

“Scrapping this requirement is not only wrong for people’s pockets, public health and the climate, it also makes it a dead certainty that the government will fail to reach its 2030 target of ensuring all fuel-poor households live in a home with at least an EPC C rating.

“When 80 per cent of landlords are in favour of stricter energy efficiency standards and the cost of cold homes is an excess of 5,000 winter deaths, what will it take for the government to bring in these crucial measures?”

Currently, around 6.5 million households are experiencing fuel poverty in the UK, with Brighton understood to be particularly affected due to the city’s private rental properties.