Tory voters gave the Prime Minister’s green plans the thumbs-up following an overhaul of government policy. Mr Sunak pushed back the timetable for a ban on sales of new diesel and petrol cars from 2030 to 2035, saying he wanted to be honest with the public about the trade-offs involved in cutting emissions.
And new polling shows it was the right decision among Conservative voters with almost half (49 percent) backing Mr Sunak’s Net Zero policy.
Only 20 percent oppose it. But they want the PM to introduce policies which enable tax cuts and incentives to help people and businesses “go green”.
The findings are revealed in a new report by the influential think tank Onward. They show that 45 percent of Conservative voters back diesel scrappage schemes, 52 percent want tax incentives and 49 percent would like to see financial support to insulate homes.
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Another 41 percent said VAT should be slashed on public charging points. According to the report the party’s supporters say NetZero is the fifth most significant issue facing the UK, and represents the world’s biggest challenge.
Nor do they believe efforts to go green are why taxes are high or adding to the cost of living pressures. More blamed Liz Truss (32 percent) for high taxes than net zero (24 percent), while most blamed the war in Ukraine, the energy crunch, and pandemic debt for high household bills.
Adam Hawksbee, Deputy Director of Onward, said: “There’s no political reward from pausing net zero, and the Prime Minister was right to reject those siren calls in his speech.
But he needs to back up his approach with popular policies to help people insulate draughty homes, move to renewable energy and afford electric vehicles.”
Simon Clarke, former Levelling Up Secretary, said: “The public overwhelmingly supports net zero, and we Conservatives must lead efforts to tackle climate change.
As Onward’s research shows, voters want to see Government action to build renewables, help people insulate homes and make electric vehicles more affordable.
Delivering on these popular policies would show that our party is committed to tackling climate change, securing new clean industries, and protecting our planet for future generations.”
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Tory MP Siobhan Baillie said: “This Onward research shows Rishi was right to put families’ finances first when it comes to our net zero ambitions.
“Everybody wants to do their bit to help protect the environment and many are already doing so. But many also will also need help to upgrade their homes and switch to electric cars, not to be taxed and forced to change at great expense and worry when the technology or infrastructure is simply not there yet.
“It’s clear from this poll that Conservatives can lead on this pragmatic, ‘stepping stone approach’ to meet the target and they should continue to focus on real life net zero policies that help, not force, people to go green.”
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