The Conservative Party could lose more than 1.3 million voters if the government removes its net zero target, research shows.
A report by the center-right Onward think tank, which includes Equalization Secretary Michael Gove among its supporters, found strong support for tackling the climate crisis among Tory voters, despite attempts by some on the party’s right to campaign against the measures.
A small group of about 20 conservatives formed the Net Zero Scrutiny Group (NZSG) last year, which is campaigning against measures to tackle the climate emergency and is trying to link net zero plans to the crisis with the cost of living. The group is linked to the Global Warming Policy Foundation think tank, which has denied a climate crisis. Steve Baker, a leading member of the NZSG, recently shared a report denying the crisis.
These efforts do not seem to have worked, as there is support among conservative voters for the net zero goal, according to a poll by Public First for Onward. It conducted two nationally representative polls on February 15-23 and April 6-7, with 4,021 and 4,08 people, respectively.
He found that nearly half (46%) of voters said they were less likely to vote for a party that promised to get rid of the net zero target. Only 15% said it would make them more willing to vote for such a party. Throwing away the zero network is unlikely to win back those 2019 Conservatives who say they no longer support the party; among this group, 51% said they would not vote for a party that got rid of the net zero target, while only 18% said they would vote for such a party.
The report warns against complacency, saying: “There is a high-profile campaign on the right of British policy, including by Nigel Farage, for greater accountability for zero-net policies.
It says there are concerns from the Treasury about net zero spending and that voters remember that diesel cars and combined boilers they were told to buy from previous governments ended up costing dearly.
While those campaigning against zero measures say they are speaking on behalf of the poorest in our society, saying they will be forced to be “poorer, colder and eat insects” according to the action plans in in the field of climate, there is strong support for climate action among working class voters.
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The report found that working-class Tories are more supportive of investing in renewable energy and are more optimistic about new jobs in manufacturing than wealthy Tories.
The authors said: “Any assumption that conservative working-class voters are particularly skeptical about the benefits of net zero would be completely unfounded, according to our data.
Conservative MP Alexander Stafford, deputy chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on the environment, told the Guardian: “Zero network action is popular in elections – so all major parties have included it in their 2019 manifestos. of Putin’s life and invasion of Ukraine show that the need for stronger net zero pressures has never been greater. Any party that should be seen as reducing environmental ambitions will not be grateful to voters. The Conservative Party must continue to build on the work it has done to bring the country closer to net zero. “
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