Former Conservative leaders call on successors not to abandon environment platform

Today, former Conservative leaders Boris Johnson, Lord Hague, and Lord Howard have urged the next Conservative leader not to weaken or abandon conservative environmental policies. Their comments come alongside the launch of the Conservative Environment Network’s manifesto for the future of conservative environmentalism. 

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 former Conservative leaders are calling on the party to 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. 

Some key policy recommendations from ‘Green shoots’ include: 

• Reduce curtailment costs through building more grid infrastructure: (pg.XX)

• Make community benefits mandatory for new grid and generation infrastructure

• Strengthen tax breaks inside freeports for green investment

• Establish an industry-funded task force for fighting fatbergs

• Legislate to end the use of peat products in horticulture

• Licence reintroductions of certain native species, like pine martens and beavers and reward farmers for tackling invasive species

• Restrict future biomass subsidies

• Maintain the nature-friendly farming budget in real terms

Available for broadcast:

• Sam Hall, Director of the Conservative Environment Network

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

"Protecting our environment has consistently been a priority for the British people. Whether it is investing in homegrown offshore wind and nuclear to create green jobs across the country, or incentivising our farmers to restore nature, successive Conservative governments have taken bold environmental action and built an impressive record. 

"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. Conservatives should champion our environmental achievements and put forward a positive plan to finish the job of cutting emissions while delivering more jobs and growth across the UK."

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

“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. 

“We need the kind of pragmatic, evidence-based, and ambitious but deliverable policies that only the Conservatives can offer. Policies that drive forward renewable energy without increasing our reliance on Chinese supply chains. Policies that use the power of free markets, capital, and innovation to deliver breakthroughs in technology to make it easier and cheaper to deliver net zero. 

“Armed with policies proposed by CEN, from stamp duty rebates for home energy efficiency improvements to new Forestry Creation Zones to support tree planting, let’s push forward a Conservative agenda for the environment and leave our world a better place for the next generation.”

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

“As conservatives, we know low taxes and smart regulation give businesses the economic freedom to innovate and generate growth. And, it is these principles that will get us to net zero affordably and in a way that enhances prosperity. Already, we have supported the growth of a £74 billion net zero economy, built the five biggest wind farms in the world, and delivered most of the action to halve UK emissions since 1990. 

“By contrast, the left’s approach, based on unaffordable government borrowing and state-owned energy companies, would crowd out private enterprise and push up costs. Therefore, it is vital we continue to champion a conservative approach to net zero.

“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’s statement correctly argues, conservative environmentalism is responsible, economically efficient, and an undoubted political asset for our party.”

Sam Hall, Director of the Conservative Environment Network, commented: 

“These next few months will be critical for the future of the Conservative Party. Leadership candidates will want to show they can reunite a broad Conservative coalition, rediscover traditional conservative principles, and set out a credible plan to deliver a more prosperous and secure Britain. Our new manifesto shows how a strong environmental platform can support all these goals. 

“CEN has consistently brought conservatives together from every part of the movement to champion market-led environmental policies. The policies in this manifesto show how tackling climate change and biodiversity loss can drive investment and growth across the UK, safeguard the UK’s energy and food security, amplify our standing on the global stage, and improve local communities. They also build on the strong environmental legacy of previous Conservative governments, which did not receive sufficient emphasis in the recent election.

“Leadership candidates should listen to those who have walked this path before them and put conservative environmentalism at the heart of their party’s renaissance.”