Most Conservative Party members still back Britain’s 2050 net zero goal, defying Kemi Badenoch’s call to scrap climate laws if the Tories win power.
Professor Tim Bale of Queen Mary University of London polled Tory members and found that 51% supported the UK's net zero objectives while 45% opposed them.
Just 20% of the general public stated they were against the net zero goal, compared to 69% who said they supported it.
Following her announcement that she would repeal the Climate Change Act, which was introduced by the previous Labour administration in 2008 and pledged the UK to reduce climate emissions by 80% by 2050, with five-year carbon budgets to keep the nation on track, Ms. Badenoch conducted the survey.
Former prime minister Theresa May said it would be a “retrograde” step, ending almost two decades of cross-party collaboration on tackling climate change.
Baroness May said:
“For nearly two decades, the United Kingdom has led the way in tackling climate change, initially with the Climate Change Act in 2008 and again in 2019 when we became the first G7 country to legislate to get to net zero by 2050.
To row back now would be a catastrophic mistake, for while that consensus is being tested, the science remains the same. The harms are undeniable.
We owe it to our children and grandchildren to ensure we protect the planet for their futures and that means giving business the reassurance it needs to find the solutions for the very grave challenges we face.
Ultimately, it is innovation and investment that will take us forward, but that can only be achieved by providing consistency and showing a clear determination to stick to the long-term path of reducing emissions, achieving net zero and protecting our planet for future generations.”
The row threatens to be one of many that could overshadow the Conservative Party’s conference in Manchester, which kicks off on Sunday.
Ms Badenoch has also set out plans to pull Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) if elected – another issue which divides senior figures in the party and is opposed by the One Nation group of Tories.
How would scrapping the Climate Change Act affect UK carbon budgets?
The Climate Change Act establishes a legal obligation for the UK government to establish and adhere to carbon budgets, which are legally binding limits on total greenhouse emissions over five years.
The Act creates a pathway towards a legally binding goal of net zero emissions by 2050, and the carbon budgets are designed to tighten over time to reduce emissions as intended by scientific climate targets.
Because of the legal obligation for the carbon budgets, abolishing would remove the legal obligation to meet the carbon budgets and would immediately remove the legal framework for reducing emissions.
It would largely lead to the weakening or abrogation of the carbon budgets, compromising consistency, accountability, and long-term commitments to climate goals.