One Byelection Result Is Enough For Sunak To Shred What Little Climate "Policies" The Tories Had

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For the Tories, Uxbridge was a clear opportunity. Labour had lost a byelection that it would otherwise have won on a single issue. A green issue. Therefore the message was clear. The environment was a vote-loser. So what better time to appease all the halfwits on the Conservative right and start ditching green policies? Hell, we’d even drawn a crucial Test match because of the rain and Lee Anderson and the rest of the GB News team had spent the weekend inside, wrapped up in sweaters, trying to dodge the cold. Global warming? You must be having a laugh. Save that for your southern Europeans. Serve them right for staying in the EU. Their punishment for believing the climate science. Wish fulfilment and all that. All it took to stop global warming was not to believe in it. Simples.

So over the weekend, briefings from Downing Street had been leaked to the media that Sunak’s government was having second thoughts about its environmental agenda. No matter that polling has consistently found that green policies are popular – most of the country understands the climate crisis; the Conservatives were going to play devil’s advocate. Drive a wedge between them and Labour. Attack Keir Starmer for misdirecting the nation’s resources on preventing something that may never happen. They knew better than the scientists. Besides, it was all such a long way off so we didn’t really need to think about it. Something like that.

On Monday morning, Sunak was up in Birmingham on a pointless visit to promote a housing announcement that Michael Gove was making back in London. Understandably, the media were mainly interested in the changes to his net-zero targets. Rish! looked irritated. Partly because he always does when challenged. He hates criticism, believing himself to be right on all topics. But also because he is genuinely uninterested – incurious even – in green politics. It’s a sideshow. All that matters is inflation and growth.

“No,” said Sunak. Nothing had changed. The government was still committed to doing the bare minimum that would cost virtually nothing. To prove his enthusiasm, he had even taken the helicopter. And it had been a hassle as his normal one had been double-booked. But it was important to make a point. That totally unnecessary air travel was totally necessary. Even if it took longer than the train. You couldn’t expect a prime minister to take Avanti. You wouldn’t believe the trash that travelled in first class these days. Imagine having to share a toilet with a stranger. And the coffee was filthy.

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https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jul/24/pyromaniac-rish-torches-climate-policy-while-europe-burns