The net zero 2050 target, enshrined in UK law under Theresa May’s Conservative government, has become a point of debate over recent months. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform leader Nigel Farage are challenging Prime Minister Keir Starmer, turning net zero policy into a defining political battleground.
Reform UK has long held a position of opposition to the net zero 2050 target, stating its intention to ‘scrap it’. Having coined the phrase ‘net stupid zero’, reflecting the party view that climate policy is ‘destructive to jobs’ and ‘making people worse off, Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice is repeating it at every opportunity to drive home the party’s stance.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s abandonment of her net-zero commitment is far more recent. Her declaration that “net zero is impossible to achieve while growing the economy” and call for a policy roll back appears to be a calculated concession to Reform’s climate-sceptic supporters.
However, jumping on the ‘green policies are a financial burden on hard-working Brits’ bandwagon to gain a few votes may be a massive miscalculation. Firmly entrenched climate sceptics are already in the Reform camp and the proportion of voters who favour a net zero rollback are surprisingly few.
Contrary to the political noise, polling shows strong public support for net zero. A May 2025 Climate Barometer survey found that 63% of Britons back the UK’s 2050 net zero target, including 54% of Conservative voters, with only 32% of Reform UK supporters opposing it.
Decarbonisation underpins government policy
Entering the fray, Prime Minister Keir Starmer appeared emboldened rather than deterred by his noisy neighbours. Speaking the day before the spending review, he restated his ambition to make the UK a global leader in clean energy. Making it clear that, to the government, net zero is not just policy, it’s personal, he described the commitment to decarbonisation as “part of our DNA – underpinning everything we do.”
By turning climate policy into a political wedge, it is Reform UK and the Conservatives who risk finding themselves on the losing side.
A recent YouGov poll of UK MPs has confirmed that the majority are not in the Farage/Badenoch camp, with 84% supporting the UK’s long-term net-zero emissions target.
Even more importantly, when it comes to attracting votes, the vast majority of the British public, including the all-important younger demographic, support ambitious action on climate change.
A March YouGov poll showed that 61% of the public ‘strongly’ or ‘somewhat’ support the government’s net zero commitment (28% plus 33%), while just 24% oppose it. Two thirds of UK voters are ambitious for accelerated progress.
No turning back
Despite both parties arguing the economic case for a roll back in climate policy, their arguments are at odds with stark warnings from UK business leaders with the Confederation of British Industry declaring “now is not the time to retreat from green growth.”
Portraying the pursuit of net zero as a financial burden is flying in the face of the reality that the transition is, itself, an engine of economic growth. Having built a reputation as a leader in clean energy, delivering industries that are not just clean but, more importantly, profitable, the UK’s net zero economy grew by an impressive 10% last year, swelling the national coffers by £83 billion. UK businesses have poured billions into industrial pivots with the UK’s unwavering commitment to net zero key to their confidence to do so.
The Government’s official climate advisors have stated that a well-managed net-zero transition could be delivered with less than 0.5% of GDP and that the economic and social risks of inaction are far greater.
Net zero isn’t just about appeasing climate activists – it’s about jobs, investment, growth and long-term economic security. With other countries pouring billions into their own green development, any rollback means we simply get left behind.
Yet, the noise around the political commitment to net zero has led businesses to question whether they can afford to ease up on transition activity.
The answer is unequivocal – it makes no sense to do so; net zero is embedded in UK law and very unlikely to be changed.
Most tiers of government and industry are firmly committed to delivering net zero, and all polls indicate that a large majority of the public and businesses are supportive of climate action. The transition is now well underway and with a momentum (nationally and internationally) that is unstoppable.
Rather than looking to ease up on the transition, businesses will be better served identifying the economic opportunity it brings.
With billions already invested, and the global race for green leadership underway, the UK has too much at stake to turn back now.
Image credit: iStock
