Government seen as ‘untrustworthy’ after net-zero roll-back

The government rolling back on net zero policies makes it look ‘untrustworthy’, according to new polling by Focaldata for the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU).

When voters were asked what they would feel about the government taking action to push back or scrap key climate policies they had previously committed to, the top response (40 per cent) was ‘untrustworthy’. A quarter (25 per cent) responded with ‘chaotic’ with less than one in three (29 per cent) saying it would be ‘sensible’.

When asked which sector would most likely create long-term growth in the economy, the top response (54 per cent) was renewable energy and clean technology with manufacturing second on 44 per cent.

Almost two-thirds (60 per cent) think the UK should be one of the most ambitious counties in the world when it comes to addressing climate change, regardless of what other countries do. This is compared to around a third (32 per cent) who think that the UK should wait for other countries, such as the US and China, to act.

A third of adults (33 per cent) would say that any decision by the Prime Minister to push back or delay climate related polices would be ‘reckless’ and another third (31 per cent) would describe it as ‘backwards’. Less than a third (29 per cent) said ‘sensible’ and around one in six (15 per cent) said ‘forward looking’.

Alasdair Johnstone, Politics Analyst, from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said:

“The relative political chaos of the last few days combined with the fact that the vast majority of the public back the 2050 net zero target, appears to have taken its toll. It is clear that the announcements made won’t have any real near-term impact on the cost of living for hard-working families but could make it much harder to hit our climate targets.

“In his speech the Prime Minister hinted towards future announcements on climate policy, which will likely need to be much more sincere in order to win back voters’ trust, particularly in the so-called Blue Wall. Climate change is a long-term challenge, with people concerned about how it will affect current and future generations. Flip-flopping on it will impact on trust.”