Tory MPs don’t care much about whether the UK reaches “net zero” carbon emissions by 2050 “because 90 per cent of them will be dead”, says a Conservative MP.
Chris Skidmore has admitted that a survey which puts the climate emergency at the bottom of the list for people who will choose the next prime minister is “quite depressing”.
But he said it could be reversed if the debate was reframed – to emphasize the need to take immediate action to reduce emissions, rather than by mid-century.
“They would say that because when you put it as net zero by 2050, probably 90 percent of them will be dead,” said Mr. Skidmore, a campaigner for the legal commitment.
He told The Independent: “For many older members of the party, 2050 seems a long way off and they wonder if they will be around in 28 years.
“But this is a quick moment really because we need action now.” People will die in the heat wave today when they wouldn’t if their homes were insulated.
“So what we need to do is reframe the debate, the conversation, about net zero, then it will be a higher priority for our members,” the Kingswood MP said.
The call comes amid growing concern about how the Tory leadership debate is focusing on issues of tax cuts and transgender rights rather than the climate – even as the nation boils over.
Kemi Badenoch, one of four surviving candidates before MPs’ fourth vote, called the commitment to net zero by 2050 “unilateral economic disarmament” and vowed to end it if elected.
A survey of the general public in April showed that 64 percent of all voters supported the government’s commitment to reaching net zero, with just nine percent opposed.
But, by contrast, a YouGov poll this week of Conservative members – who will be choosing between the final two candidates to replace Boris Johnson – put the issue at the bottom of a list of ten policy areas.
Top won the next election (56 per cent), with personal tax cuts, increased defense spending and strengthening Britain’s global position coming next.
Alok Sharma, the cabinet minister who led the Cop26 climate talks in Glasgow last year and still holds the presidency, has hinted he may resign if the climate crisis is downgraded.
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary who is challenging Penny Mordaunt for what is expected to be second place in the final vote along with Rishi Sunak, has also vowed to reject the Green measures.
She said she was stopping the green levy on home energy bills to help households struggling with the cost of living, at a cost of £4.2 billion a year.
After Monday’s “green” crackdowns, Mr Skidmore suggested the public should not be “terrified that someone will think they have a mandate to roll back our climate commitments.
He said all candidates already “support net zero and our climate commitments”.
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