'Climate change is on the ballot': Prime Minister calls surprise summer UK election - BusinessGreen

'Climate change is on the ballot': Prime Minister calls surprise summer UK election | BusinessGreen News

Rishi Sunak announces General Election will be held on 4 July, as green groups predict climate, nature and net zero issues will prove key battleground in campaign

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has this afternoon confirmed plans to hold a General Election in July, in a surprise move that is set to see climate change, nature, and the net zero transition play a central role in what is expected to be an intense campaign.

Addressing the nation in the rain outside 10 Downing Street this afternoon, Sunak confirmed that voters would be heading to the polls on Thursday 4 July, as he made his pitch to the electorate to back the Conservatives to lead the UK government for a fourth term.

"Now is the moment for Britain to choose it's future - to decide on whether we want to build on the progress we have made, or risk going back to square one with no plan and no certainty," said Sunak.

"Earlier today I spoke with His Majesty the King to request the dissolution of Parliament. The King has granted this request, and we will have a General Election on the fourth of July."

The Conservative Party has been lagging far behind Labour in the polls for much of the past two years, a period which has seen country contend with soaring energy prices, rising inflation, and an economic recession over the past winter. Experts have argued the Conservatives require a near unprecedented recovery to deny Labour a majority.

However, confirmation this morning that the inflation rate has fallen again to 2.3 per cent - just above the Bank of England target of two per cent - prompted Sunak to claim "inflation is back where it should be". The Conservatives are now expected to argue throughout the election campaign that the economy is recovering and voters should "stick with the plan" that has helped curb inflation and see economic growth tick up.

In response, Labour is set to argue the government has delivered some of the worst productivity and wage growth in history, while overseeing a series of scandals that has resulted in three different Prime Ministers over the course of the last Parliament.

Energy, environmental, and climate issues are also set to play a central role in the campaign, after the government last year sought to draw clear dividing lines with Labour on the pace of UK decarbonisation by rolling back a number of key policies. Ministers have argued Labour's plan to deliver a clean power system by 2030 is not feasible and risks driving up energy bills. Labour has hit back by accusing the government of overseeing policy uncertainty and chronic underinvestment that has hampered the clean energy transition, driven up energy bills, and led to a sewage pollution crisis.

Green groups today urged both main parties to prioritise ambitious climate action in the coming election.

"The election has been called on the day that scientists announced that "never ending" rain in the UK in autumn and winter has been made 10 times more likely by the climate crisis," said Ed Matthew, campaigns director at climate change think tank E3G. "Climate change is already causing devastation to crops and homes in the UK and our dependence on fossil fuels has been at the heart of the cost of living crisis. Climate change is on the ballot like never before and voters will be looking for bold manifesto pledges to show parties are committed to ambitious action to rapidly build a clean, green energy system. Any party failing to take action on climate change is condemning itself to electoral oblivion."

Leo Murray, co-director of climate charity Possible, urged political leaders to avoid the temptation to stoke divisions on environmental issues.

"We can't let climate change become a culture war in this general election campaign," he said. "During the 2019 general election, it was an issue on the doorstep for the first time. The first ever televised climate debate was broadcast into millions of living rooms and leading politicians pledged billions for climate action. But going into this election, the political consensus around climate is in peril. Government ministers peddle conspiracy theories. Our prime minister has watered down net zero targets. Politicians are trying to turn climate into a dividing line, rather than a way to bring people together.

"Despite all this, public support for climate action has remained consistently high. People are ready for the transition, and we need our politicians to show the same ambition. We can't let the delayers and the deniers define this election. We need to protect the consensus for climate action which we've built among the public and politicians, and pave the way to a climate parliament."

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