Chris Skidmore has admitted that a survey which put the climate emergency at the bottom of the list for people to choose the next prime minister is “rather depressing”. But he said it could be reversed if the debate was reframed – to reinforce the need to take immediate action to reduce emissions, rather than until mid-century. “They would say that because when you drop the question as net zero by 2050, probably 90 percent of them will be dead,” said Mr. Skidmore, a campaigner for the legal bond. He told the Independent: “For many older members of the party, 2050 seems a long way off and they wonder if it will be close in 28 years. “But it’s a fast time actually, because we need action now. People will die from the heat today, when they wouldn’t if their houses were insulated. “So what we need to do is reframe the debate, the debate, about net zero, then it would be a higher priority for our members,” the Kingswood MP said. The call comes amid growing alarm at how the Tory leadership debate is focusing on tax cuts and trans rights issues rather than the climate – even as the nation boils over. Kemi Badenoch, one of four surviving candidates before MPs’ fourth vote, called the 2050 net zero pledge “unilateral economic disarmament” and vowed to scrap it if elected. A poll of the general public in April found that 64 percent of all voters support the government’s commitment to net zero, with only nine percent opposed. But in stark contrast, this week’s YouGov poll of Tory members – who will choose between the two final candidates to replace Boris Johnson – put the issue down in a list of ten policy areas. The Top was winning the next election (56%), with cutting personal taxes, increasing defense spending and strengthening Britain’s global standing the next most important. Alok Sharma, the cabinet minister who led the Cop26 climate talks in Glasgow last year and still holds the chair, has hinted he could step down if the climate crisis worsens. Liz Truss, the foreign secretary who is challenging Penny Mordaunt for second place in the final vote, along with Rishi Sunak, has also pledged to overturn the Green measures. It said it was suspending the green levy on household energy bills to help households struggling with the cost of living, at a cost of £4.2 billion a year. After “green” prosecutions on Monday, Mr Skidmore suggested the public need not be “terrified that someone would think they have a mandate to spell out our climate commitments. He said all candidates were now “on record supporting net zero and our climate commitments”.
