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Green Shoots: a conservative manifesto for a greener, more prosperous future

 

Polling consistently shows the electoral importance of the Conservatives having a strong environmental platform. Climate change and biodiversity loss also pose a grave threat to our prosperity and security. That is why the Conservative Party should remain steadfast on the fundamental conservative principle of environmental stewardship, embrace the party’s green record, and set out a conservative plan to protect and enhance the environment. 

 

As the Conservative leadership contest gets underway and the party debates its future direction, CEN has put forward over 90 conservative environmentalist policies which will: save households money; unlock growth through private investment; improve local communities by reducing pollution and expanding access to nature; restore iconic British species and landscapes; make the UK safer and secure; and enhance the UK’s standing on the international stage. 

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Alongside this manifesto, former Conservative leaders have also highlighted the importance of conservative environmentalism. You can read their full comments here. 

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The Rt Hon Boris Johnson, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, commented:

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"Continued conservative environmental leadership is critical for our party’s electoral prospects and the environmental cause. Unlike the left, we know that it is only through unleashing private enterprise and driving innovation that we will finish the job of reaching net zero. We must avoid a costly, hair-shirt approach to the environment that alienates the public and undermines support for going green.

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The Rt Hon Lord Hague of Richmond, the former Leader of the Conservative Party, commented:

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“Our environment is inextricably linked to three of the other great issues that matter most to both our country and our party: our security, our prosperity, and our society. This means that whatever the future is of conservatism, the environment must remain at its heart. 

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The Rt Hon Lord Howard of Lympne, the former Leader of the Conservative Party, commented: 

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​“The need to decarbonise is rightly accepted by both main parties, but how we decarbonise is a political space that conservatives should own. We must not be afraid to put forward a conservative environmentalist vision, built on a vibrant, decarbonised economy. As CEN correctly argues, conservative environmentalism is responsible, economically efficient, and an undoubted political asset for our party.”