![]() ![]() “It’s something Rishi has believed for a long time,” says a government figure. It’s why this green policy pivot can’t simply be cast off as a last roll of the dice to improve the party’s fortunes. As chancellor, he was rattled by the targets agreed by No 10 – with, in his mind, little debate or talk of the trade-offs involved. In contrast, Rishi Sunak has long been sceptical of the costs around net zero. ![]() Ultimately, Johnson was always more pro-net zero than his party: his boosterism on the issue was an issue for MPs on the right. Sunak’s former critics Jacob Rees Mogg and Liz Truss have praised his decision to delay a ban on new petrol and diesel cars by five years. “It says something when Boris is talking the most sense,” says one southern MP, who backed Sunak in the leadership contest. The business secretary, Kemi Badenoch, went into bat for the government, as MPs shared concerned statements from business. As Boris Johnson went public against watering down the commitments, Johnsonites such as Simon Clarke and one-nation MPs such as Damian Green raised concerns on the various groups. “The WhatsApp groups are a bloodbath,” reported one member of government on Wednesday. This meant that the initial party management left a lot to be desired. “We’ve been portrayed as watering down and backtracking.” “In terms of the substance, it’s sensible but the framing and narrative has been poor,” says a concerned MP in a “blue wall” seat. The prime minister had to put out a rushed statement and bring forward his speech. “But that’s not the audience.” However, aides will admit that the fact that the reports first broke in a leak to the BBC, rather than as planned in a speech, means that Sunak and his team were caught on the hop. “The village was always going to go mad,” says a government figure. “It’s a massive gamble that has divided the Tory party,” says a senior Conservative. ![]() It’s why the panic that followed Sunak’s decision to scale back key net zero commitments will come as little surprise to No 10. The tensions between the two Tory tribes have been on full display all summer as the party has had an open debate about how far green issues can be pushed for electoral advantage. “A lot of MPs have become more sympathetic to the risk of the costs,” says a member of the 2015 intake. But after the Tories narrowly held on in the Uxbridge byelection thanks to a campaign against the expansion of Sadiq Khan’s ultra low emission zone, the mood has been changing. The supportive Conservative Environment Network has more than 100 members, while the sceptical Net Zero Scrutiny Group has about 20 public members. Until recently, it’s the latter group that’s had the greater numbers. This group see being green and proud as key to keeping swing voters from defecting to the Liberal Democrats or, worse, Labour. But colleagues in southern seats often wear their environmental credentials proudly – and have been known to put the phrase “net zero champion” in their social media bios. MPs in “red wall” seats tend to look at the costs associated with the transition to net zero and question the wisdom of a rush that could cost votes. The Tory party has long been divided on the environment.
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