After ex-minister Jeremy Hunt’s announcement, half of Conservative backbench MPs now belong to the party’s green group.
The Conservative Environment Network (Cen), which now has 133 MPs, has led green-minded Tories and Tories to claim that those who don’t want net zero are the minority. There are 360 Conservative MPs currently sitting, but 95 of them are whips or ministers of the government and are therefore not eligible to join Cen.
This contrasts with the Net Zero Scrutiny Group (Conservative politicians) which has 19 publicly identified members. Craig Mackinlay MP is the leader of the group. Posted on PoliticoAlthough he claimed that 58 MPs had registered, he didn’t provide a list.
The Net Zero Scrutiny Group has strong ties to the Global Warming Policy Foundation. A group that has been described climate skeptical.
Although the backlash against the government’s green policies has been growing at a slow pace, the Cen has a higher number of MPs.
Since the start of the year 18 Tories have joined Cen, including some who were elected in 2019. Sam Hall, director of the group, stated that this proved it to be the largest and fastest-growing Conservative movement in parliament.
Hunt stated: I am thrilled to join the Conservative Environment Network in order to champion net zero as well as nature conservation.
It is crucial that the UK decarbonizes its economy by 2050, more than ever, given the current global gas crisis and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We must increase our domestic production of clean energy, including new nuclear and renewables. This will reduce the cost of electricity, improve energy security, and help avoid the worst effects from climate change.
The group’s large size could be a boon for green policies in the forthcoming energy plan. However, some worry that those who lobby for fracking or an expansion of oil and natural gas could cause a halt to these green policies.
Dr Doug Parr, Greenpeaces policy Director, stated: This is yet more evidence that the harsh reality of climate crisis keeps chipping at the climate skepticality that has plagued Conservative benches for decades.
Boris Johnson has moved from harsh criticisms to full-throated advocacy for wind power. Half of the Conservative backbenches have now pledged to climate action. This is in contrast to the disruptive partisanship that has been seen elsewhere, such as in Australia, the USA, and elsewhere. This should have been done at least a decade ago when the climate crisis was imminent and the benefits of renewable energy were well-known.
Now, the question is whether these MPs will hold their governments to account on the urgent actions we need to abandon fossil fuels and fix our draughty houses to address the climate crisis.