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.
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.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | University of Manchester, Sustainable Consumption Institute |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Publication status | Published - 20 Jun 2024 |