The party’s leader Nigel Farage has described the UK’s net zero target as “complete and utter madness” and its deputy leader Richard Tice has said renewaable energy is a “massive con”.
Polling shared with The i Paper shows that a growing number of Reform voters are less likely to agree with the party’s stance on climate, with one in five new supporters agreeing that Tice, who is the party’s energy spokesperson, is “misleading” the public on climate change.
What do Reform voters think about climate change?
Reform leaders’ rhetoric on the climate crisis has become increasingly extreme; Andrea Jenkyns, Reform’s mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, even said recently that she didn’t believe climate change was a thing.
Overall, the polling found that those who have started supporting Reform since the 2024 election are less climate sceptic than those who voted for Nigel Farage’s party at the last election.
Reform has also taken a strong anti-renewable stance, saying that it will end public subsidies and tax the industry. The party has also said it will tax farmers who put solar panels on their land.
Meanwhile, just 24 per cent of new reform supporters and 29 per cent of 2024 voters support Reform’s policy of taxing farmers who use their land for solar panels.
New polling by YouGov, commissioned by Friends of the Earth and shared with The i Paper, found 80 per cent of Britons were supportive of the UK expanding its renewable energy infrastructure.
While Reform voters were the least supportive group, 65 per cent were still either strongly supportive or tended to support renewables.
“Politicians consistently underestimate levels of public support [for climate action],” said Rebecca Willis, professor in energy and climate governance at the University of Lancaster.
However, Professor Willis said an overall support for achieving net zero should not be taken as “a carte blanche for any climate policy”.
Anouschka Rajah, research and data analyst at More in Common, said Reform’s anti-net zero stance is “capitalising on some of the anger that there is towards energy bills and energy companies in particular”.
While Reform voters generally say they’re concerned about climate change, it’s not as motivating an issue as the cost of living, Rajah said.
A ‘ceiling’ for reform
However, Rajah said Reform’s hardline climate stance could alienate supporters as the party looks to grow its base, particularly as it attracts more young people.
“The group who are effectively Reform’s base, their 2024 voters, are different on this issue from those voters who they’re now trying to appeal to. I think it represents a potential ceiling to Reform to grow that coalition if the party remains out of line with where its potential voters are at,” Rajah said.
There is also evidence some prominent Reform figures are not in line with the party’s tough anti-climate stance.
Sam Hall, director at the Conservative Environment Network, said Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who has also been wavering on net zero, should learn from polling and not follow the same route as Reform.
“I think a positive offer on renewable energy and climate change more generally will be important for appealing to Conservative voters across the UK.”
Reform was contacted for comment.
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