New ‘mega poll’: Con to Lab/LD switchers ‘greener’, back greater ambition on climate

The poll found that nearly half (49%) of the public as a whole wanted the government to go further on tackling climate change.

In addition, nearly half again (48%) thought the Government should continue to introduce policy which reduces the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, even if it means a small amount of inconvenience to people like them, even though policies on EVs, heat pumps and insulation do not put an onus on households to switch.

This was slightly higher (56%) among Conservative to Labour or the Liberal Democrats switchers.

Nearly three quarters (73%) of Conservative to Liberal Democrat switchers support onshore wind in their area and roughly the same amount (72%) support a solar farm. Likewise, there was similar high support and low opposition among those who switched from the Conservatives to Labour with 71% support for onshore wind, 70% support for solar.

Even among Reform UK voters, onshore wind and solar still saw more support – with half backing wind (50%) and solar (51%) in their area – than opposition (21% wind, 20% solar).

Commenting on the results, Alasdair Johnstone from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit said: “These ‘turquoise Tories’ who are really up for clean, energy and greater Government action on climate change have turned red or yellow.

“It was telling that the Conservatives lost the Uxbridge seat that seemed to trigger a change in mood on the net zero climate target from Sunak last year, even though the debate there centred on a clean air policy. It was clearly a strategic error to go lukewarm on climate change.

“Labour now has a clear mandate, particularly from some of its new voters, to go further and faster on net zero ambition. Indeed, if it is to deliver on its promise of growth as the manifesto itself set out and the likes of the CBI have said, green investment must be central to that.”

The polling echoes the results of another poll conducted by Opinium [3] and released just after the election results were announced showing those switching away from the Conservatives were generally ‘greener’ in their views, and even among Reform voters very little of their motivation to back the party was to do with climate or energy policy.

Ends