The government U-turn on net zero goals has led to a fall in Rishi Sunak’s approval ratings and makes the government look ‘untrustworthy’, according to polling by YouGov and the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU).
YouGov polling from 21 to 22 September found that Rishi Sunak’s net favourability rating had fallen to -45, his lowest polling score so far.
In a separate poll commissioned by the ECIU, voters asked what they would feel about the Government pushing back or scrapping key climate policies, the top response (40%) was ‘untrustworthy’, while a 25% responded with ‘chaotic’. Only 29% said it would be ‘sensible’.
Meanwhile, 54% of people believe that the renewable energy and clean technology industries are the sectors that would most likely create long-term growth in the economy, with manufacturing second on 44%. 60% of respondents thought the UK should aim to be one of the most ambitious countries on addressing climate change.
33% of those polled say that any decision by the Prime Minister to push back or delay climate polices would be ‘reckless’, while 31% would describe it as ‘backwards’.
.@RishiSunak net favourability rating now stands at -45, his lowest score to date, following #NetZero announcements, acc YouGov poll
— ECIU (@ECIU_UK) September 24, 2023
Number of Lib Dems with a favourable view of Rishi Sunak has halved since late August, from 25% to 12%https://t.co/2WOFcxNggD pic.twitter.com/sNsvNrVrSm
Alasdair Johnstone, politics analyst at ECIU, said: “The relative political chaos of the last few days combined with the fact that the vast majority of the public back the 2050 net zero target, appears to have taken its toll. It is clear that the announcements made won’t have any real near-term impact on the cost of living for hard-working families but could make it much harder to hit our climate targets.”
“In his speech the Prime Minister hinted towards future announcements on climate policy, which will likely need to be much more sincere in order to win back voters’ trust, particularly in the so-called Blue Wall. Climate change is a long-term challenge, with people concerned about how it will affect current and future generations. Flip-flopping on it will impact on trust,” Johnstone added.
Previous polling from ECIU found that 46% of people said they thought the government should stick with its plan to phase out new purely petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and hybrids by 2035. The consultancy also found that the UK’s net zero goals enjoyed 76% public support the 2050 net zero target.
