Local election poll – majority of Reform voters back climate targets

The issues that determined the voting decision of those intending to vote for Reform UK were immigration and asylum (at 66%), health care and the NHS (39%) and the economy (39%). Only 12% selected energy policy and 4% climate change and environmental issues.  

For those voting Conservative, two-thirds (66%) said they support “net zero by 2050” despite the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch recently declaring the target “impossible”. 

Across the public as a whole, renewable energy and clean technology is seen as the best economic growth opportunity (32%), beating manufacturing (31%) and healthcare (25%), financial services (23%) and oil and gas is (17%). 

Six in ten (60%) say green and low-carbon industries are the best way for the UK to regrow its industrial base compared to just 40% saying the transition threatens it.  

In February, CBI Economics produced a report looking at the size of the net zero economy. It showed it was worth nearly £84bn in value to the UK economy and grew 10% in the last year [2].  

Of those who voted Labour at the general election last year but now planned to vote Liberal Democrat or Green, 60% said they would be more likely to support a party that pledged to go faster on polices to tackle climate change and reach net zero.  

Alasdair Johnstone from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit said: 

“Efforts to mislead over what net zero actually means distract from the reality that the clear majority of Reform UK voters want climate change tackled even if it’s not their top issue and may well have tuned out of that bit of the party’s pitch. Missing from the current debate is the fact that net zero is a scientific concept, and put simply if we don’t reach that target, if we don’t stop adding emissions to the atmosphere, we don’t stop climate change 

“Voters clearly see clean energy as a major growth industry, and we know the UK’s net zero economy grew three times faster than the economy as a whole. 

“For Labour there must be concern now that those shifting to the Lib Dems and Greens are among the most motivated by climate change with questions over the speed and watering down of at least some net zero policies.”  

Recent analysis from Persuasion UK showed that Labour would be more at risk of losing votes to Greens or Liberal Democrats if they were to row back on their net zero targets than they would at retaining so called “reform curious” Labour voters [3]. 

Notes 

[1] Polling conducted by Focaldata of 1524 Adults in England between 28th – 30th April 2025.  

[2] The future is green: The economic opportunities brought by the UK’s net zero economy 

[3] Getting to know Reform curious Labour voters, Persuasion UK.