Poll: Brits back green investment, £28bn and Government battery factory support

New polling from Opinium has found that renewable energy and clean technology is seen as the sector most likely to create long-term growth for the UK economy with 47% of UK adults selecting it followed by 32% for manufacturing and 26% for financial services.

The poll also found that 45% of people support Labour’s plan to invest £28bn a year into the UK’s net zero climate target to fund projects including renewable energy, electric vehicle manufacture and insulating homes, whilst 32% objected.

The Government is currently seeking to ensure Jaguar Land Rover builds a battery factory to support electric car manufacture in the UK, rather than investing in a factory in Spain. 53% of those polled back the £500million package that the Government has offered, with 27% opposing it.

The US last year unveiled its Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) which provides tax cuts and other incentives to grow clean industries including renewables and EV manufacture in the US. Many companies have already decided to switch investments to the US and away from the UK as a result of the IRA policies. The UK Government is yet to publish its response to the Inflation Reduction Act but has said it will do so in the autumn.

The poll found more UK adults (48%) thought the government should seek to match the ambition of the US and China on renewable energy by supporting the UK’s own ‘home grown’ renewable energy industry than those (19%) who thought it would not be a good use of public money.