How good will Rishi Sunak be for the environment?

Rishi Sunak became the next UK Prime Minister, and he arrived with one of the fullest in-trays of any leader in peacetime. He must contend with war in Ukraine, Covid, and energy crises – and that’s before trying to restore the UK’s economic credibility after the disastrous policies of the short-lived Liz Truss administration. With so many immediate priorities, there are fears that climate change might slip down the agenda – so, will Rishi Sunak be good for the environment?

Due to a truncated leadership campaign, Sunak did not put forward any environmental policies (nor, indeed, any policies at all). But on the steps of 10 Downing Street during his inaugural address, he pledged to uphold the Conservative 2019 manifesto, which included promises to protect the environment, ban fracking, and deliver on the UK ‘net zero by 2050’ target.

He arrives with one of the fullest in-trays of any leader in peacetime.

Sam Hall, director of the Conservative Environment Network (CEN) – a Parliamentary caucus of more than 100 Tory MPs – urged to Prime Minister to “end the uncertainty about the direction of the government’s environmental policy and recommit to ambitious action on climate change and nature loss”. He added: “We welcome his pledge to deliver on the 2019 manifesto, which promised the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on Earth. Protecting our environment doesn’t mean sacrificing economic growth. Green measures can reduce the cost of living, create employment, investment and export opportunities, and safeguard our natural capital, which is the bedrock of our long-term prosperity and security.”

But what will he actually do? During the previous leadership campaign, Sunak offered a number of green policies. He said he would insulate millions of homes, as well as revamp the global financial system for net zero. Sunak intended to implement plans to protect a third of the UK for nature, but this comes alongside a relaxation of the ban on onshore wind farms and an increase in North Sea gas production. His Parliamentary record on climate has been mixed, and he rarely mentioned the climate as Chancellor, apart from a pledge to turn the UK into a green finance powerhouse.

His Parliamentary record on climate has been mixed, and he rarely mentioned the climate as Chancellor

Ed Matthew, campaigns director at E3G, an independent think tank that aims to accelerate a global transition to a low-carbon future, said: “When you look at his record as Chancellor, he didn’t put the clean economy and climate action right at the heart of his mission. You can’t solve climate change and reach the 1.5C target set by the United Nations with a half-hearted approach to climate action – you need to be all in.” Matthew said that Sunak was greener than Truss, but described that as a low bar.

Sunak did face criticism, however, for blocking green policies with short-term costs. He cut air passenger duty on domestic flights ahead of COP26, and was accused of distancing himself from a key review on the economics of biodiversity. He was slow to introduce a windfall tax on energy firms and did so with tax relief to incentivise fossil fuel extraction. According to Shaun Spiers, executive director of Green Alliance, a think tank that works to ensure UK political leaders deliver ambitious solutions to global environmental issues: “He’s been reasonably good at the aspects of net zero that didn’t require him as chancellor to spend any money. But when it came to actually seriously supporting net zero as chancellor, he fell short.”

You can’t solve climate change and reach the 1.5C target set by the United Nations with a half-hearted approach to climate action – you need to be all in.

–Ed Matthew, campaigns director at E3G

Another approach is to look at Sunak’s appointments. Alok Sharma has stayed on as COP26 President for the next few weeks until Egypt take over the presidency at COP27 next month – he will no longer attend cabinet. Elsewhere, Truss ally Thérèse Coffey has been demoted from Health Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister to Environment Secretary – she was previously a waste and recycling minister in the department, and she will have influence over post-Brexit farming subsidy changes and environmental protection regulations. Green groups have broadly welcomed her appointment, particularly as a replacement for the controversial Ranil Jayawardena, who took a hard line with bodies such as the RSPB and National Trust over a planned “war on nature”.

Ultimately, there is an air of optimism over Sunak’s appointment, at least on the environmental front. As Spiers notes, Sunak said he wants to stick to the 2019 manifesto, and it was broadly good on green issues. Sunak’s projection of comprehension and evidence-based policy has encouraged green groups, particularly after Truss’ full-frontal embrace of ideology above all else. The question now is, with probably spending cuts on the way, how many of these promises will survive the chop? Whatever happens, Friends of the Earth campaigner Kierra Box says: “There is definite room for hope, because it could hardly be worse than Truss.”