Boris Johnson is right when it comes to the Tory party’s current approach to net zero
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was not known for being steadfast and providing clarity on many issues. In one area, however, he was consistent and that was the climate. Therefore the divisive former PM is worth listening to on the matter.
And his warning to Conservatives that they cannot win the next election by “bashing the green agenda” should make the current Tory leadership take stock of the direction they are taking the party in.
Kemi Badenoch has committed the Tories to repealing the Climate Change Act and abandoning the commitment to reach net zero by 2050.
If Johnson is not a trusted messenger on this topic, then there are two other former Tory prime ministers who have also taken aim at the direction the Conservatives are headed in.
Baroness Theresa May told peers on Monday the move was an “extreme and unnecessary measure”. While Sir John Major told a Conservative Party lunch on Tuesday that saying “no to climate change” fell outside “the majority of public opinion”.
That is not to say that concerns about the speed and cost of transition are not genuine. The Government’s current approach is putting the net zero agenda at risk of losing the battle of hearts and minds.
Carpeting the countryside in glass and metal in the name of solar power, against the will of communities, is not going to win people over. Nor is the loss of thousands of jobs, resulting in an increase in employment during the transition.
In order for net zero to succeed, it’s going to require a balancing act between the country’s needs now and for the future.