The UK has historically had a cross-party consensus on the need to tackle climate change among most politicians and voters. Only five MPs voted against the Climate Change Act in 2008, and both Labour and the Conservatives have committed to the targets enshrined in it at each subsequent election.
However, the election of Kemi Badenoch as leader of the Conservatives is the latest sign that the party may be taking a more combative approach to climate change policy, and that politics surrounding this issue are potentially becoming more fractious.
In 2021, a group of Conservative MPs, concerned about the impact of climate targets, formed the Net Zero Scrutiny Group. This development coincided with increasing commentary on climate change in various rightwing media outlets, and the Brexit party’s reincarnation as Reform UK with opposition to net zero targets becoming one of its core missions.
