Rishi Sunak’s approval ratings have dropped to an all-time low following his speech delaying climate change measures.
YouGov field work shows the prime minister now has a net approval rating of -45 after he rowed back on commitments in the 2019 manifesto to take meaningful action on climate change.
During a Downing Street address, Sunak pushed back the deadline for phasing out gas boilers and petrol cars and scrapped plans to make landlords improve their properties’ energy efficiency.
He also reversed fantasy policies to impose taxes on meat and travel and force people to use seven bins.
A raft of polling conducted following the announcement paints a grim picture for the PM.
Two-thirds of people told pollster Ipsos they did not trust the Conservatives to make the right decisions on the environment, while Greenpeace found that voters in Conservative heartlands overwhelmingly back climate and nature policies, with most people wanting the Government to support people in decarbonising homes and transport.
Of the 20,000 people polled, 70 per cent said environmental issues would affect how they voted at the next election.
Across the south and south-east of England in “blue wall” seats – defined as having voted Conservative in 2019, remain in 2016 and with at least a quarter of the population as graduates – support for Government intervention was slightly stronger than the national average.
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