Green Pledges Become Election Lightning Rod for Sunak and Labour
Denitsa Tsekova
Sun, July 23, 2023
(Bloomberg) -- Cabinet minister Michael Gove has called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to relax the Conservative Party’s green pledges before the general election as a way to shore up the Tories’ chances against Labour in some key constituencies.
The suggestion by the levelling up and housing secretary follows public backlash to a pending expansion of London’s so-called congestion zone, which helped the Tories narrowly hang onto the seat vacated by former premier Boris Johnson in Thursday’s by-election.
In an interview with the Telegraph, Gove warned against being “inflexible” on net zero measures and making the cause of the environment into a “religious crusade.” He’s the first Cabinet member to suggest easing some green pledges.
Tory ministers, backbenchers and advisers have urged Sunak to radically change tack after the party suffered two thumping electoral defeats in different corners of England and narrowly retained Johnson’s old constituency. Some government officials expect Sunak to use net zero and green issues to differentiate the party from Labour following the successful Uxbridge campaign that opposed limits on vehicle emissions.
Following the narrow Uxbridge by-election loss, in a seat it had been tipped to win, leader Keir Starmer — in a sharpening of his rhetoric — told Labour’s National Policy Forum in Nottingham on Saturday that the party must “face up” to the electoral damage caused by the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), the Telegraph reported.
Labour is “doing something very wrong” if its policies “end up on each and every Tory leaflet,” Starmer said.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the Times he’s now in “constructive listening mode” toward a possible softening of his position about the planned ULEZ enlargement. Khan already faces pressure from some Labour MPs to row back the enlargement, which he has previously called the “right” approach.
With a national election now likely in November 2024, the Conservative Party trails the Labour opposition by about 20 points, according to the most recent polls.
Denitsa Tsekova
Sun, July 23, 2023
(Bloomberg) -- Cabinet minister Michael Gove has called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to relax the Conservative Party’s green pledges before the general election as a way to shore up the Tories’ chances against Labour in some key constituencies.
The suggestion by the levelling up and housing secretary follows public backlash to a pending expansion of London’s so-called congestion zone, which helped the Tories narrowly hang onto the seat vacated by former premier Boris Johnson in Thursday’s by-election.
In an interview with the Telegraph, Gove warned against being “inflexible” on net zero measures and making the cause of the environment into a “religious crusade.” He’s the first Cabinet member to suggest easing some green pledges.
Tory ministers, backbenchers and advisers have urged Sunak to radically change tack after the party suffered two thumping electoral defeats in different corners of England and narrowly retained Johnson’s old constituency. Some government officials expect Sunak to use net zero and green issues to differentiate the party from Labour following the successful Uxbridge campaign that opposed limits on vehicle emissions.
Following the narrow Uxbridge by-election loss, in a seat it had been tipped to win, leader Keir Starmer — in a sharpening of his rhetoric — told Labour’s National Policy Forum in Nottingham on Saturday that the party must “face up” to the electoral damage caused by the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), the Telegraph reported.
Labour is “doing something very wrong” if its policies “end up on each and every Tory leaflet,” Starmer said.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the Times he’s now in “constructive listening mode” toward a possible softening of his position about the planned ULEZ enlargement. Khan already faces pressure from some Labour MPs to row back the enlargement, which he has previously called the “right” approach.
With a national election now likely in November 2024, the Conservative Party trails the Labour opposition by about 20 points, according to the most recent polls.
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