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Former Ministers Alok Sharma, Simon Clarke, and Chris Grayling among 23 leading Tory figures to join new Conservative Environment Network advisory council
Former cabinet ministers Alok Sharma, Simon Clarke, and Chris Grayling are among almost two dozen senior Tories who have joined a new advisory group that will call on the UK government to embrace bolder net zero and nature recovery policies in the run up to the next General Election.
The 23-strong committee includes senior MPs, councillors, academics, and experts from across the Conservative Party and has been set up to provide advice to the Conservative Environment Network (CEN), the Parliamentary caucus that counts over 100 Tory MPs and peers among its members.
With the Labour Opposition continuing to enjoy a significant poll lead over the government and Number 10 wrestling with myriad economic challenges, CEN said the council would help steer its campaigns to push a number of key green issues up the government's agenda ahead of an election that is widely expected to take place next autumn.
As such, the group is likely to focus on how best to push the government to unlock more onshore and offshore renewables, improve home energy efficiency, incentivise sustainable transport, clean up polluted rivers and seas, and reward farmers for adopting nature-friendly practices.
The announcement comes just days after Labour published a raft of new climate and environmental policies in support of its aim to operate an almost entirely decarbonised power grid in Britain by 2030. It also follows polling which has shown consistently high public support for expanding renewable energy capacity, retrofitting homes and buildings to help driven down bills, and cleaning up the dire state England's rivers, lakes and coastline waters.
However, Labour's plans, including its controversial proposal to halt the issuance of new oil and gas drilling licenses, has prompted fierce criticism from some government ministers who allege the move could undermine UK energy security. The row has prompted fears among green businesses and campaigners that the broad political consensus in the UK on the need to accelerate decarbonisation efforts could be fracturing as clearer dividing lines open up between the two main parties on environmental issues.
As such, the new group is expected to underscore the continued support for more ambitious climate policies among a large number of Tory MPs.
Sharma, the former Business Secretary who served as President of the COP26 UN climate summit in Glasgow in 2021, said climate change remained "the greatest challenge of our time".
"As the UK showed at COP26, the leadership of a country with a small share of the world's emissions can make a big difference, raising global ambitions and creating new jobs and industries at home," he said. "CEN has been a critical voice in keeping environmentalism at the heart of successive Conservative governments. I look forward to working with its many members to ensure the government has a bold and positive environmental agenda ahead of the next election."
The new CEN advisory council also counts Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) chair Philip Dunne MP, Katherine Fletcher MP, Selaine Saxby MP, and former government minister Lord Duncan of Springbank among its members.
Other members include the Conservatives' 2019 manifesto co-author Rachel Wolf, Cornwall Council leader Linda Taylor, Solihull Council leader Ian Courts, and Matthew Lesh, director of public policy and communications at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).
The advisory council was unveiled last night by CEN chair Ben Goldsmith at an event in London to mark the 10th anniversary of the group, which now counts 159 Tory MPs within its ranks this Parliamentary term, a major chunk of the Party's overall 352 MPs.
Sam Hall, director of CEN, said the growing influence of the Parliamentary caucus demonstrated that "while some Conservatives remain sceptical [of climate-related warnings], they are in the minority".
"The debate has moved to focus on how we deliver on our climate and nature goals in a way that enhances our prosperity and security, not whether we have to act or if humans are responsible for environmental degradation," he added.
"As we head toward the next election and the future of conservatism debate continues, we will work to ensure environmental leadership remains at the core of the centre-right politics and to urge conservatives to set out a positive agenda for further environmental action."
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