Fears Tory eco agenda may lose next election
BORIS Johnson has been warned he could lead his party to an election defeat of 1945 proportions if he does not take a different approach to the threat of climate change.
The PM was told to remember that the public “did not vote for Greta Thunberg”.
Britain will host the international Cop26 climate change conference in Glasgow in November.
It is seen as a pivotal event in the ecological programme, with Prince Charles due to speak.
Last week, the UN’S IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) predicted the world would reach the 1.5C warming threshold – after which climate change will rapidly accelerate – within two decades.
However, it said immediate action could bring it back under control by the latter half of the century.
But there is concern in Tory ranks that measures to slash net carbon dioxide emissions to zero could leave the country’s poorest citizens worse off.they also fear that the UK, as hosts of the conference, may feel obliged to make bold and expensive commitments.
South Thanet Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay has formed the Net Zero Scrutiny Group.
He is concerned about the UK hosting the landmark talks, because “when you’re in the chair you feel you have to go all-in”.
His concerns were echoed by Prof Gwythian Prins, of the London School of Economics. He warned that just as Churchill’s Conservatives were swept out of office in 1945, Mr Johnson could see his majority evaporate if he makes unpopular decisions on climate change.
He said the Government should
introduce a tax incentive to encourage people to run cars on liquid petroleum gas which, he argues, will reduce air pollution.
Describing much of the response to climate change as following the “economics of the madhouse”, he urged the PM to use COP26 to point the world in a new direction.and he also warned that the French “gilets jaunes” riots of 2018-19 had actually started as fuel tax protests.
The Government said: “As the IPCC report made clear, acting now will be cheaper than waiting to deal with the consequences of climate change already evident around the world. At every step of our path to net zero, we will be guided by affordability and fairness.”
It said the UK economy had grown 78 per cent while cutting emissions 44 per cent in the past 30 years.
Mr Johnson has said the Government wants to “keep bills low and make sure we have the technology and that it’s affordable”.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is planning a £400million boiler scrappage scheme, offering £7,000 grants to those looking to move to lowcarbon options, it was reported.