Poll: Majority supports proposals to ease planning rules for clean energy projects

Labour’s plans to ease barriers to planning for clean energy projects and accelerate economy-wide decarbonisation efforts appear to be enjoying strong traction with most voters as the election campaign enters its final few days.

The latest BMG Research survey published by BusinessGreen in partnership with media agency Copper Consultancy, confirms that the Labor Party enjoys significantly more voter confidence than the Conservative Party when it comes to delivering the UK’s net zero targets.

Thirty-five percent of respondents said they completely trusted or tended to trust Labor to deliver the UK’s climate goals, compared to just 18 percent who said they would trust the Conservatives to deliver. More than half of voters said they did not trust the current government to deliver on its goals.

There was also significant support for proposals to ease planning rules to make it easier to build clean energy and infrastructure projects, which Labour has placed at the heart of its economic plans. Fifty-three per cent of respondents strongly or tended to support the proposals, compared with just 13 per cent who opposed. Support for planning reforms was significantly higher than opposition across all demographic groups.

“Labour is seen as one of the most trusted parties (32 per cent) to deliver the UK’s net zero ambitions, second only to the Greens (43 per cent),” said Adam King, associate director at BMG. “On the other hand, there is widespread distrust of the Conservatives (53 per cent) and Reform UK (47 per cent). With Labour making high-profile commitments to relax planning rules in order to build the renewable energy and infrastructure the UK needs to meet its targets, the data shows that over half (53 per cent) support such a move.”

The latest results come as numerous polls continue to show very little movement in overall voting intentions, with the Conservatives demanding an unprecedented shift to deny Labor a significant majority.

The message from both main parties has therefore shifted in recent days, with Labour reminding voters that “change will only happen if you vote for it”, while the Conservatives have tried to squeeze support for reform by arguing that right-wing voters should back the government to deny Labour a large majority.

The latest BMG Research poll of over 1,500 people shows that while the Reform Party’s net zero promise continues to put off many voters, it resonates with a sizable minority.

When asked to what extent they supported or opposed the UK abandoning its net zero emissions target in light of the inclusion of the proposal in one party’s manifesto, 37% said they would oppose such a move, but 28% said they supported it.

Similarly, when asked whether claims that moving away from net zero emissions policies could cut public spending by £30bn were credible, 35 per cent of respondents said they were not likely, but 30 per cent found them credible.

Reform has repeatedly claimed that scrapping net zero emissions would save public spending by £30bn a year, but has not explained how, and those calculations have been widely debunked, with critics noting that the Office for Budget Responsibility has estimated annual public spending on climate action at less than a third of the amount Reform says could be saved.

Jamie Bannerman, senior client director at Copper Consultancy, said the results suggested the next government would need to continue to make a strong case for climate policy, or risk a populist backlash against the creation of such measures.

“Last week, there was a claim that ending net emissions would save Britons £30bn a year,” he said. “There is only a five per cent difference between those who find that claim credible and those who don’t (30:35 per cent). The cost of living crisis, combined with news that major developers are pulling out of renewables because of big-ticket projects that are not expected to turn a profit for years, could mean that the new government and industry will have to do more to champion net zero emissions and the energy transition.”

However, King noted that support for climate policy continued to outweigh opposition, and the party’s vocal opposition to moving to net zero may have contributed to its failure to build on the initial momentum from earlier in the campaign.

“Our polling shows that despite an early surge, support for Reform could start to wane by 4 July,” he said. “While there are a number of reasons for this, including Farage’s comments on the war in Ukraine or voters thinking tactically and returning to the Conservatives, the Reform manifesto pledge to end net zero emissions and potentially save the UK economy £30bn a year has been poorly received by voters – 37 per cent oppose it, with just 28 per cent in favour. Even among older voters, who are more likely to say they will vote for Reform, more are opposed to and support ending the UK’s net zero commitments.”

The poll was conducted on the same day that the CBI renewed its call for the new government to prioritize net zero policies as a way to unlock investment and economic growth.

In a speech to business leaders, CBI director general Rain-Newton Smith said there had been a “deafening silence on climate change, biodiversity loss, net zero and our planet” from all parties during the election campaign, in stark contrast to the “business consensus” that moving to net zero is an opportunity for growth.

“The next government… (must) loudly and proudly make green growth part of the new investment proposition for brand Britain. No more prevarication, no more backtracking. Whoever forms the next government must let the world know that you are serious about net zero investment opportunities and that we are in this for the long term. Make decisions and stick to them.

Registration is now open for the fifth annual Net Zero Festival, which will take place on October 22-23 at the Business Design Center in London, organized by BusinessGreen.