Conservative Candidates on the Climate Crisis

Unless you have been living under a rock (I would understand why), you have heard about Boris Johnson resigning as Prime Minister and the following scramble for power that ensued. Just Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss remain in the race, with the result of the membership vote set to be announced in September. They have been touring the country and sharing their vision for the economy, NHS, foreign policy. 

‍

However, the climate crisis seems low on the agenda. Just this last week, the BBC was criticised by environmental organisations such as Greenpeace and WWF for their singular question about the climate crisis during the Tory leadership debate: “What three things should people change in their lives to help tackle climate change faster?” As Springwatch presenter Chris Packham said, this question focused “on individual action rather than governmental action, when the purpose of the debate was to test the candidates’ credentials for being the next prime minister” and was therefore “completely irresponsible”. Well what were their answers? Sunak praised recycling and Truss commended green technology. As Teach the Future, we are here to bring the climate crisis to the forefront of the Conservative leadership race and find out their views on the climate crisis in more detail…

‍

Rishi Sunak

‍

^{View on Net Zero by 2050 and other environmental policies}

Sunak has committed himself to the net zero target, cautiously, saying at the ITV debate: "If we go too hard and too fast then we will lose people. And that's no way to get there, and I think we can get there in a way that's about growth, that's about jobs, that's about industries of the future, and that's the way to do it." 

‍

Sunak aims to make Britain “energy independent” by prioritising wind energy, however in an interview with the Telegraph, he states: “I would scrap plans to relax the ban on onshore wind in England, instead focusing on building more turbines offshore”. At party hustings, Sunak also committed to “look to introduce new energy efficiency schemes for housing, largely focused on smart controls, low-carbon heating and insulation as cost-effective ways to respond to the energy crisis”.

‍

Voting record

• According to TheyWorkForYou, Sunak has almost always voted against measures to prevent climate change, for example in February 2020 he voted not to call on the Government to develop and implement a plan to eliminate the substantial majority of transport emissions by 2030.
• He has voted against financial incentives for low carbon emission electricity generation methods, such as voting to reduce support for former coal power stations running wholly or in part on biomass such as wood or other plant material in July 2018.
• In March 2016, Sunak voted against setting a decarbonisation target in the UK for the Energy Bill.

‍

Policies as Chancellor of the Exchequer (2020-22)

In the 2021 budget, Sunak halved the tax on domestic flights and slightly increased the tax from £87 to £91 on ultra long-haul flights. Defending himself after criticism in the run up to COP26, Sunak said the new policy is fairer as “the further you’re flying, the more emissions, then you will pay a higher rate”. In Sunak’s Spring statement, he announced a reduction in fuel duty, while also revealing a reduction in VAT for people when installing insulation and low-carbon technologies like solar panels and heat pumps in their homes. In May, Sunak unveiled a one-off £5bn windfall tax on oil and gas companies in an effort to tackle the cost of living crisis. 

‍

Liz Truss

‍

View on Net Zero by 2050 and other environmental policies

Likewise, Liz Truss has committed herself to the Net Zero policy, again with caution, saying that we needed to "find better ways to deliver net zero" that won't "harm people and businesses". 

‍

Truss has gone on record to say she will temporarily scrap green levies attached to energy bills, which are used to fund environmental and social programmes such as supporting energy efficiency improvements in homes and helping vulnerable people pay their bills. “Whether that’s electric vehicles or insulation in the home, but what I don’t want to see is ordinary households penalised by our net zero targets. So I would lift the green energy levy and cut money from people’s fuel bills while looking for better ways to deliver our net zero targets.”

‍

Voting record

• According to TheyWorkForYou, Truss has generally voted against measures to prevent climate change, for example, voting not to reduce the permitted carbon dioxide emission rate of new homes.
• Truss almost always voted for higher taxes on plane tickets (8 votes between 2013-17)
• Truss generally voted against financial incentives for low carbon emission electricity generation methods

‍

Policies as Foreign Secretary (2021-now)

Liz Truss was criticised in March 2022 when she was reported to have ordered changes to FCDO aid spending to prioritise aid for women and girls, putting climate change “on the back burner”.

‍

Policies as Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary (2014-2016)

Truss introduced cuts to subsidies to solar farms, calling them a “blight” on the landscape and claiming that solar farms hindered food production. 

‍