Britain's net zero economy is booming, worth £100bn a year and supporting higher-paying jobs than average, yet Andy Burnham faces pressure to ditch the targets. Abandoning them could be highly damaging on multiple levels, according to experts.
Electoral Risks of Dropping Net Zero
Luke Tryl, executive director of More in Common, warns: “Net zero is one of the few glues that unites Labour’s coalition. There is limited electoral benefit to ditching it and much potential harm.” Over 60% of people support net zero, including about a third of Reform voters, despite opposition from Nigel Farage and Richard Tice.
Labour lost votes to the Green party and Liberal Democrats at local elections. YouGov polling shows that for every 2024 Labour voter who switched to Reform, about six voted for the Liberal Democrats or Greens. This suggests weakening on net zero would not win back Reform voters but could alienate progressive supporters.
Economic Benefits of Net Zero
Joe Dromey of the Fabian Society says: “Watering down Labour’s bold contributions to green policy and net zero would do more harm than good.” The sector already employs over a million jobs, and clean tech is driving reindustrialisation in areas like the Humber and North East. Alasdair Johnstone of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit notes: “Thousands of small businesses and more than a million jobs are now dependent on the net zero economy.”
Jobs in the North Sea have declined steadily for 15 years; direct employment fell from 36,000 in 2013 to about 30,000 by 2024, with supply chain jobs dropping from 200,000 to 100,000. Opening new fields would not stem losses long-term, as over 90% of oil and gas has been extracted.
Burnham’s Environmental Record
As mayor of Manchester, Burnham set a carbon neutrality target for 2038 and championed clean energy, electric buses, insulation, and nature projects. Robbie MacPherson, former head of the UK’s all-party parliamentary group on climate, says: “This record shows he understands the importance of these issues and is willing to fight for them.” He adds that Burnham must “bring to life the most ambitious climate and clean energy programme that any British government has been elected on.”
Climate Crisis Urgency
A recent heatwave forced school closures, disrupted transport, and damaged productivity, with European economies projected to lose $600bn from extreme heat by 2030. Angharad Hopkinson of Greenpeace UK states: “The only way off this hellish treadmill is to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Our next prime minister needs to act on the evidence outside their window.”
