CLUELESS politicians have no understanding of the pain policies like Net Zero will inflict on the public, a damning survey shows.
A massive 62 per cent told a YouGov poll for Trending In The News that getting prices down is more important than achieving carbon neutral status by midway through this century.
A lad in school uniform blasts an eco mob in London yesterday
Nearly half of those surveyed said Just Stop Oil activists need to be treated more harshly
Almost two thirds of those surveyed said ministers should prioritise keeping prices down over reaching Net Zero
Ministers have set the ambitious 2050 target — but it means upfront pain by 2035 for anyone replacing their boiler, and expensive electric cars by the end of this decade.
On the back of our poll results, MPs and peers last night called for a slowdown, warning Net Zero risks making lives “less free, more costly and more miserable”.
Households face paying out at least £10,000 for new central heating systems such as heat pumps and an average £50,000 for a green car.
A whopping 85 per cent of Brits polled say politicians setting these rules have no grasp of the financial pressures faced by the people.
More than half of the voters that gave the Government their massive majority in 2019 do not believe Net Zero can be hit without making life harder for the cash-strapped public.
The poll found 65 per cent of people back the idea of Net Zero — with just one in five not supporting the policy in any form.
But while there is support for the green initiative, people have little sympathy for eco campaigners such as Just Stop Oil.
Almost 70 per cent of voters say there is zero justification for their go-slow road protest tactics and blocking workers from commuting.
Forty-five per cent believe Just Stop Oil protesters are treated too leniently by the cops.
And just 17 per cent of the public think eco group have been treated too harshly — although that doubles to 35 per cent among Labour voters.
Our survey also shows:
- HALF of Brits say NO to the 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles that will force drivers to switch to electric cars;
- FORTY-SEVEN per cent are opposed to the ban on new gas boilers due in 2035;
- TWO-THIRDS say Just Stop Oil has no justification for ruining workers’ lives by closing roads — with nearly half wanting even tougher treatment;
- FORTY-FIVE per cent disagree with Ultra Low Emission Zone schemes that punish drivers entering towns and cities — while 40 per cent back the expensive tolls;
- FORTY-ONE per cent to 33 per cent oppose hiking energy bills for green schemes like hydrogen.
The UK was the first country to legislate to go carbon neutral by 2050, but that means painful targets in the coming years.
The policy was dreamt up in the dying days of Theresa May’s Premiership in 2019 and rushed through the Commons.
The ex-PM insisted it “should be at the top of the Government’s agenda”.
But hitting the Net Zero target scores way down the list of the biggest issues facing Brits today.
The cost of living crisis and soaring prices tops their concerns, followed by rising NHS backlogs and sluggish economic growth.
Crime rates, the state of Britain’s schools and the largest tax burden faced by workers since the war also beat going green among worries.
However, the public is more divided on whether to ban new drilling for gas and oil in the North Sea — with 39 per cent both approving and disapproving.
And the wider public is split over whether any of the Net Zero targets can be achieved without making people poorer.
More than a quarter of voters do not know what will happen.
A schoolgirl blasts protesters for causing her to be late for lessons
But 2019 Tory voters are more sceptical — with 53 per cent warning life will be made tougher by the Government’s policy.
And more than 76 per cent of them want politicians to put tackling prices before those goals.
Last night, MP Craig Mckinley, who heads up the Net Zero Watch group, demanded a “pause” on such policies until value for money for taxpayers was assured.
He said: “Each and every measure — from banning petrol and diesel cars to the extreme activities of environmental campaigners — is rejected by the public.
“Cost is a key concern, especially as most countries around the world and especially the big emitters are not following us down this costly path of being pushed into new technologies that don’t work.”
He said elections could be won or lost on scrapping Net Zero, warning: “There are new votes available to us Conservatives by listening to the public and pausing unwelcome and unworkable Net Zero plans that will make life less free, more costly and miserable.”
Lord Frost, who quit Boris Johnson’s government in 2021 in part over Net Zero, also called for a “slow down”.
He told Trending In The News: “This polling shows clearly that voters don’t want to pay more in pursuit of abstract green goals.”
But ministers are pushing ahead with a mixture of bans and tax rises to hit the Net Zero goals.
Last week, Trending In The News revealed Energy Department officials told industry they needed to hike the prices of boilers before the deadline to ban new ones to get people to switch to green alternatives.
That means households face paying £300 more than they should for a new gas boiler.
Manufacturers fear they will have to increase prices to cover fines for missing heat pump sales targets.
A gas boiler is typically £2,500 while heat pumps can cost £13,000.
Businesses will get a £5,000 hit for each they don’t sell below a target.
Last night, Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said: “It’s clear the public want us to focus on driving down their bills, and not Labour’s Energy Surrender plan, written by Just Stop Oil, to ban British oil and gas.”
