Environmentally minded Conservatives have urged Rishi Sunak to hold firm on net zero commitments after others in the party used their unexpected win in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip byelection to call for an end to “very unpopular” green policies.
While the controversial expansion of the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) was seen as a factor in the Tories holding on to Boris Johnson’s former seat by 495 votes over Labour, on a night when the party was defeated in two other byelections, the Conservative Environment Network (CEN) said this did not reflect the politics of wider green issues.
