Yorkshire drive for net zero would continue under a Reform government, experts claim

The latest polling from Ipsos, released last month ahead of the Labour Party Conference, put Reform at a 12-point lead against Labour, with 34 per cent of people saying they would vote Reform at the next General Election. 22 per cent said they would vote Labour and 14 per cent said they would vote conservative.

Reform UK and its leader Nigel Farage have frequently signalled the party’s opposition to net zero, pledging to scrap renewable energy subsidies and fast-track licences for North Sea gas and oil.

Speaking at the North Green Skills Conference, Nicola Robinson, business development manager at the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, said the business case for a green energy transition was too strong to be halted by a change in government.

Established in 2013, the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult aims to work with industry to accelerate the development of offshore wind, wave and tidal energies in the UK.

Answering a question on how the green economy in Yorkshire could change if Reform came into power, and how Catapult would respond, Ms Robinson said: “We’re making things cleaner, more economically viable, we're building a supply chain, creating skills sets, we’re growing in every way possible.

"It's not what you do, it's how you do it. Whether you do it because it's environmental, the impacts are still the same.”

Ms Robinson added that a change in tone around environmental issues “It hasn't stopped Catapult, and won’t stop catapult,” adding: “It's good times ahead”.

Her comments were also echoed by Martin Budd, Hull City Council’s climate change manager.

Mr Budd said: “Climate change is happening. It's a global challenge, therefore there are opportunities internationally in markets around decarbonisation, addressing climate risk and around nature.

“That is not going to change, you can't change science, that is the reality of it.

“Energy is an integral part of the economy and the decarbonisation agenda. That is also not going to change. Our economy is so tied in with that, and with the green energy push, and that is a huge opportunity for us.”

The Hull and East Yorkshire region is home to a number of major green energy projects, including Siemens Gamesa’s large offshore wind turbine manufacturing plant.

Since the North Green Skills Conference took place, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has also positioned her party more strongly against the net zero agenda.

The Tory leader pledged late last week to scrap the 2008 Climate Change Act, should the Conservatives regain power.

The act commits the UK to cut climate emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, with five-yearly carbon budgets to keep the country on track towards the goal.

Former Prime Minister, Theresa May, branded Badenoch’s pledge a “catastrophic mistake” and a “retrograde step” that shattered a 17-year consensus between the UK’s main political parties and the scientific community.

Also speaking at the North Green Skills Conference, Eamon Banerjee, consultant at Urban Foresight, said: “Coming from the North East, we do a lot of work in County Durham, which is overwhelmingly a Reform territory right now.

“We are working with them to develop place plans, and Country Durham has an immense amount of businesses in the supply chain in the green energy transition. There has been a commitment to still support those jobs, and keep those jobs in Durham.

“On the point of how things are looking going forward, devolution plays a huge part in this. About 60 per cent of the education budget is already devolved, and that offers a really good opportunity for combined authorities to bypass anything on national messaging that comes from Nigel Farage or the like.”

Reform UK currently holds control of Durham County Council with 65 seats.

The comments come as Donald Trump’s administration in the US continues to post roadblocks to companies working in green energy, with wind energy and green hydrogen firms both in the firing line.