Lee Anderson: Senior Tory claims 'only the odd weirdo' cares about Net Zero - despite contradictory polling

A senior Tory has claimed the average Briton is not concerned about the UK reaching its net zero emissions target, despite polling suggesting green issues are still hugely important to voters.

Former Conservative Party chair Lee Anderson made the comments on Tuesday (6 February) at a launch rally for the new "Popular Conservatism" faction, where he spoke alongside others including Liz Truss. The 'PopCons', as they have been dubbed in Westminster, are a group of Tory MPs who aim to pressure Rishi Sunak's government on different issues - while galvanising the UK's "secret Conservatives", and healing the “damaging divide” between politicians and people who “think the wokery that’s going on is nonsense”.

The government has committed to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, to help curb some of the most serious impacts of climate change. Last year was the world's warmest year on record, which saw climate records "tumble like dominoes". Scientists already fear 2024 could be even hotter, and have been urging world government to clamp down on carbon emissions - particularly those created by burning fossil fuels - while there is still time to limit warming.

Some speakers took aim at green policies, including the government's net zero pledge, at the event. Ashfield MP Lee Anderson argued that average Britons do not care about the net zero emissions strategy, PA reports. Not many of his constituents “lie aware at night worrying about net zero”, he said, but instead worried about their fuel bills.

On the doorstep, “net zero never comes up” apart from the “odd weirdo in the corner” who backs the Green Party, Anderson added. He called for an “opt-in, opt-out" system on fuel bills.

Liz Truss, who famously resigned as Prime Minister after just 44 days in the role, also criticised so-called leftists disguising themselves as environmentalists. She slammed this as a bid to take “power away from families and giving it to the state and unelected bodies”.

However, a recent survey conducted by professional market research agency Survation on behalf of Greenpeace - which polled 20,000 people nationwide - found 70% of those who gave an opinion said environmental issues would affect how they voted at the next election. In South England's 'blue wall' seats, defined as areas which voted Conservative in 2019 but remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum - support for government climate intervention was actually slightly higher than the national average.

Of those who had a view in the 'blue wall' seats, 85% said they wanted the government to provide more financial support for insulating homes, with 73% wanting more government funding for heat pumps. More than 79% believed the government should invest more in renewable power and subsidised rail travel - to make it cheaper than driving.

Greenpeace UK's climate campaigner Georgia Whitaker told NationalWorld Anderson's comments certainly did not line up with what the data - including both their own and YouGov's ongoing 'most important issues facing the country' polling - suggested. "I'm not sure which polls Lee has been looking at, but surveys consistently show the environment among the top four issues the electorate are concerned about - along with the economy, health and immigration," she said.

As for people not wanting to talk about the climate, she said the "thousands of conversations our Project Climate Vote volunteers have had on doorsteps across the nation in recent weeks" also suggested otherwise. "Lee needs to realise the cost of living is directly linked to common sense measures that can lower our bills, keep our homes warm and help us reach Net Zero. Policies like requiring landlords to insulate their buildings - dropped by this government - would help renters who are most likely to face fuel poverty as well as helping to cut carbon."

Ms Whitaker added: "The sooner they grasp this, the sooner the Popular Conservatives might live up to their name."