By Jo Nova
It’s like a light has switched on in UK politics
Who would have guessed that voters like their gas guzzling cars? Well everyone would, of course. Which is why it defies explanation that both sides of politics ignored this for so long. But a phase change is underway…
After the Uxbridge by-election surprise, Rishi Sunak suddenly talked about being pragmatic on the road to Net Zero and said he would “Max Out” the North Sea Oil reserves. He vowed to review the “low traffic neighborhoods” (the bossy bollard program) and said he was on the side of the motorists. Since then he’s apparently leapt from -2.7 in net satisfaction polls among Tory members to +20.7, a leap of 23%.
Thanks to NetZeroWatch for keeping us informed:
Rishi Sunak’s popularity surges as he toughens net zero stance
Jack Maidment, The Telegraph
Last month, Mr Sunak’s popularity among the Tory grassroots sunk to its lowest level since he took over at No 10. He received a net satisfaction rating of -2.7 – …But the premier has bounced back in the latest survey of party members, with a score of 20.7 …
A separate ConservativeHome survey of Tory members published earlier this week showed the political importance of net zero for the Prime Minister.
How strong is that message? Four out of five conservatives like their petrol cars:
It revealed that an overwhelming majority – 83 per cent – believed the Government was wrong to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. Mr Sunak has insisted that the policy will go ahead as planned.
The Sun editorial even says: “If Rishi Sunak put brakes on net zero, it could see him back on the road to election victory.
To put that in perspective, in late July polls in the UK put the Conservatives at 28% and Labor at 45% so to even talk of winning shows how the landscape is shifting.
We should be grateful to Uxbridge and South Ruislip for this eco U-turn
By ESTHER MCVEY
I can’t be the only one enjoying the screeching U-turns politicians are making over Net Zero. Many of us have been raising the alarm over its timetable and estimated trillion-pound plus cost for a while, and so we welcome those who are belatedly seeing the light.
It’s happening in many countries:
Germany woke up first, seeing the devastation it would cause to their motor industry, and they are now desperately trying to kill-off the EU ban on conventional cars.
Macron is now asking Brussels for a “pause” in its investment-deterring green regulations and, Sweden – the country that led the way to enshrining net zero into law back in 2017, and gave the world Greta Thunberg – has quietly abandoned its pledge to be 100 percent renewable by 2045.
We hope politicians in Canada, Australia and New Zealand are watching this phase change. This post is for all them.
Photo Prime Minister Rishi Sunak by Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street