Public support for net zero still ‘incredible’ despite Tory and Reform stances, climate minister claims
Climate Minister Katie White has said there is still “incredible support” from the public on action against climate change, despite what she described as a “fracturing at the political level”.
The Minister, who was appointed last month, said that the job of the Government would now be to “rebuild the consensus” politically in order to move forward the net zero agenda.
It came as Ms White said she was “disappointed” in Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s recent pledge to scrap the 2008 Climate Change Act.
The 2008 act originally legislated for an 80 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 but under Theresa May’s Conservative Government was strengthened to a ‘net zero’ target of a 100 per cent reduction.
However, Ms Badenoch recently announced that she would scrap the act should the party retake power at the next general election. Badenoch’s pledge also echoes similar sentiments from Nigel Farage’s Reform party, which has also said it would scrap net zero targets.
Speaking to The Yorkshire Post, Ms White, who is also MP for Leeds North West, said: “Undoubtedly there are headwinds on this agenda, and people are checking back to see that we’re heading in the right direction.
“I'd also balance that though by saying, when you look at the polling across most of the country, support for action on climate change is pretty incredible. It's holding up, and when you speak to people across the whole of the UK, across different demographic groups, people can see it's happening, and they want to take action.
“I think there is a fracturing at the political level, and part of our job is how to rebuild that consensus, and look at where we do agree on things and how we can move forward.”
Prior to entering politics, Ms White worked at Friends of the Earth where she co-led the campaign for the Climate Change Act. She worked with the UK government to prepare for the UN Climate Change Conference in 2009, and was awarded an OBE for her services to tackling climate change.
Responding specifically to a question on Kemi Badenoch’s pledge to scrap the Climate Change Act, Ms White said she was “disappointed” by the announcement.
She added: “I think Britain has been better for having that cross party consensus, and it wasn’t just Labour and scientists that called for it in 2005. It was the Conservatives, who allied for it in 2005, it was David Cameron’s leadership campaign in 2005. It was also the CBI and the church.
“Now again in 2025 we’re seeing that we’ve still got Conservatives calling for it. We had Theresa May coming out, Alok Sharma coming out, Zac Goldsmith coming out, and businesses across the board.
“So we do have a very broad coalition in support, but would I like that consensus to be broader? Of course.”
Ms White’s comments came during an interview at the Yorkshire Post Climate Change Summit, held last week at The Leeds Conservatoire.
In an address to the Summit, Ms White said the UK had already made great strides in decarbonising, but admitted that political consensus around the issue has weakened in recent times.
She said: “We face far more challenging conditions than we did in 2008. Climate change has gone from a future problem to an urgent present threat to our way of life. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has revealed the consequences of our reliance on global fossil fuel markets; high bills, the cost of living crisis, geopolitical uncertainty and energy as a weapon of war.
“At a time of hardship, prominent voices have promised simple solutions to complex problems. ‘Take the easy way, abandon the green stuff, it is too difficult, it is too expensive’.
“We have to acknowledge that argument and its appeal. We have to bring people with us and show rather than tell them that clean power won’t just guarantee our energy security or stave off a future problem, it will make their lives better right here, right now, in their homes, towns and communities.
“Net Zero won’t just preserve our way of life by cutting emissions; it is the economic opportunity of the 21st Century. The UK’s net zero economy is growing at three times the rate of the rest of the economy and supporting the jobs of the future. Good, skilled, unionised, local jobs - not just in the South-East but also across the country as we embark on this new Industrial Revolution.”
Full coverage of the Yorkshire Post Climate Change Summit will be available in a special supplement in tomorrow’s paper.