Abstract
This Report details the changing political dynamic around climate change in the UK, where there has been a breakdown of pro-climate consensus since 2021. This Report is aimed at campaigners who wish to enhance the UK’s climate policy ambition, both those within NGOs and those within all political parties. It is also written for researchers and journalists seeking greater contextual information for their policy design and reporting work.
We document the rise of a backlash against climate policy in the UK, which started in 2021 and has achieved significant impacts on the UK government’s approaches to climate changes. This backlash has changed the nature of Conservative-Labour competition around climate change, from one focused around policy performance, to one questioning how ambitious and rapid UK climate policy should be. The implications have been that, at times, the Conservative Party has assumed anti-Net Zero ideas, while the Labour Party has moderated its ambitions. At the same time, the rise of Reform on the right, and the ongoing presence of the Green Party on the left, have created new dilemmas for Conservative and Labour leaders in building and maintaining their political coalitions. These changes have created new dilemmas for party leaders about how to pursue climate policy. Campaigners and policy designers will benefit from understanding these dilemmas, and how they affect strategies elevating climate policy ambition.
We document the rise of a backlash against climate policy in the UK, which started in 2021 and has achieved significant impacts on the UK government’s approaches to climate changes. This backlash has changed the nature of Conservative-Labour competition around climate change, from one focused around policy performance, to one questioning how ambitious and rapid UK climate policy should be. The implications have been that, at times, the Conservative Party has assumed anti-Net Zero ideas, while the Labour Party has moderated its ambitions. At the same time, the rise of Reform on the right, and the ongoing presence of the Green Party on the left, have created new dilemmas for Conservative and Labour leaders in building and maintaining their political coalitions. These changes have created new dilemmas for party leaders about how to pursue climate policy. Campaigners and policy designers will benefit from understanding these dilemmas, and how they affect strategies elevating climate policy ambition.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | The University of Manchester Sustainable Consumption Institute |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Publication status | Published - 20 Jun 2024 |
