Tories and big business are in the driver’s seat on climate action. Here’s what the left must do

‘Any repair job to an electric car means a trip not to a local mechanic, but to a corporate garage that’s staffed by digital experts.’ The launch of Tesla’s Model Y electric car, Kuala Lumpur, 20 July 2023. Photograph: Fazry Ismail/EPA

Earlier this week, 100-odd energy companies sent a letter warning the prime minister that his lack of new climate policies will threaten their profit margins. Then, the Cop26 president, Alok Sharma, announced a new attempt to end the de-facto ban on onshore wind energy in England, and Liz Truss backed him.

Neither of these calls made a huge splash in the news, because big business and rightwingers calling for green policy is no longer news. Instead, this is what normal looks like when capitalism starts to go green.