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Almost half of public want vote on the future of net zero

People want more of a say on Britain’s carbon-related regulations, survey finds, as policy row intensifies

By Will Hazell POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

MORE people than ever want a referendum on net zero policy, a survey has found.

A poll by YouGov found that 44 per cent of adults in Britain supported “holding a national referendum to decide whether or not the UK pursues a net zero carbon policy”, with 27 per cent opposed, while 29 per cent said they did not know.

When the “don’t knows” were excluded, 62 per cent wanted a referendum. A poll on the same question a year ago found that 58 per cent wanted a ballot on the issue.

Excluding “don’t knows”, 66 per cent of 2019 Labour voters backed a poll, compared to 60 per cent of Liberal Democrat voters and 56 per cent of Conservative voters.

Lib Dem voters were the most decisive group, with only 15 per cent responding that they did not know compared with 25 per cent for Labour and 24 per cent for the Tories. The survey was commissioned by Car26, which is campaigning for a referendum on net zero policy and a pause in carbonrelated rules until such a ballot is held.

However, Chris Skidmore, the Tory MP carrying out a review of net zero delivery for the Government, told Sunday Telegraph there could be no delay to measures such as banning petrol cars as it would damage public trust.

Mr Skidmore, who has said he is standing down at the next election, said: “Russia’s war in Ukraine has really sort of created this question around how do you deliver energy security and energy sovereignty for the future.”

Mr Skidmore was commissioned by Liz Truss in September to review net zero policy, focusing on “maximising economic growth”. The review was retained when Rishi Sunak replaced Ms Truss last month.

As energy minister, Mr Skidmore was responsible for signing into law the Government’s policy to achieve net zero by 2050, a target his review does not question. He said the review would not advise delaying the ban on new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, nor plans to ban gas boilers in newly built homes from 2025 and ban the installation of new boilers in homes from 2035.

Mr Skidmore said: “The review is going to look at those mandates, but it won’t make the case for delaying them.

“If we don’t achieve those mandates, it puts public confidence in our ability to be able to deliver change at risk.”

He said there was a “culture of delay” around new energy infrastructure, which had to be overcome because “we haven’t got the time to waste any more”.

Last month, Mr Skidmore played a role in the Commons drama during Ms Truss’s government when she tried to whip Tory MPs into supporting fracking. Shortly before the vote, he said he could not back the government.

Mr Sunak reinstated the Englandwide ban on fracking when he entered No10 and Mr Skidmore said the fiasco over the vote meant fracking would not be backed by future governments.

The review has received 1,800 written submissions and held 46 roundtable events to date, with the recommendations due to be published in January. Mr Skidmore said the review was engaging with sceptics of climate change action, including the Tory MPs who have formed the Net Zero Scrutiny Group.

“It’s incumbent upon me to not only work with all political parties, but to listen to those people who’ve got concerns about the energy transition,” he said. “If we head into recessionary times, this is where the private investment is heading – there is money out there to be had.

“The key for me is that for those people who are concerned about the transition, this review has got to be able to demonstrate to them that net zero is going to make them warmer and richer. It isn’t going to make them colder and poorer.”

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2022-11-27T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-11-27T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://dailytelegraph.pressreader.com/article/281809992908794

Daily Telegraph