Responding to the Conservative Party’s manifesto, Sam Hall, Director of the Conservative Environment Network, commented:
“Action to safeguard the environment is an intrinsically conservative cause, so it is welcome to see a recommitment in the Conservative manifesto to addressing climate change and biodiversity loss and the party taking pride in their achievements in government. The manifesto contains several strong policies, including CEN’s proposals to cut red tape for tree planting, expand the Blue Belt around the UK Overseas Territories, and uprate the nature-friendly farming budget with inflation. There are of course other areas, such as increasing the rollout of rooftop solar, unlocking private investment in home energy efficiency upgrades, and strengthening marine protected areas, that will need to be addressed in the next parliament too. But these practical measures will enable the party to build on one of its most substantial and popular legacies.
“Armed with these policies, the party should now campaign positively on the environment in the run-up to polling day, focused on promoting conservative solutions to these pressing challenges rather than simply opposing the measures of other parties. To get political credit for their past achievements and win voters’ trust over their future plans, the party needs to be more vocal in championing this positive, conservative case for why protecting the environment is important for our security and prosperity. This will help the party maximise their support across their 2019 voter coalition.”