diff --git a/backportpackage b/backportpackage
index 0504dc5..3d53a9f 100755
--- a/backportpackage
+++ b/backportpackage
@@ -322,7 +322,9 @@ def do_backport(workdir, pkg, suffix, close, release, release_pocket, build,
         cmd.append('-sd')
     if old_version:
         cmd.append('-v%s' % old_version)
-    check_call(cmd, cwd=srcdir)
+    env = os.environ.copy()
+    del env['DEBEMAIL']
+    check_call(cmd, cwd=srcdir, env=env)
 
     fn_base = pkg.source + '_' + bp_version.split(':', 1)[-1]
     changes = fn_base + '_source.changes'
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index f35a70e..38146cd 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@ ubuntu-dev-tools (0.143) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
   * backportpackage: Fix filenames searched when looking for existing
     .orig.tar.foo files (to determine if we need to upload it again or not).
     (LP: #1007908)
+  * backportpackage: Unset DEBEMAIL when building source package. Fixes error
+    when building backports for packages with no Ubuntu changes. (LP:
+    #1007042)
 
   [ Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre ]
   * mk-sbuild: use and update messages to suggest using the source:$chroot way