My hunch is the next generation of aspiring leaders will have a firmer grip on the meaning of conservatism than the current crop. Or, at least, I hope so — otherwise there might not be a party to lead.
An emphatic 66 per cent are opposed to LDNs – and a socking great 83 per cent to the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2030.
The fact remains that the broad thrust of climate policy enjoys strong support from voters. YouGov polling shows that ULEZ is a rare example of an unpopular environmental measure.
Government can use research grants, low business taxes and pro-innovation policies to resolve the difficulties. It makes little sense to plough on with taxes and bans.
Thanks to Conservative policies, the UK has one of the fastest decarbonisation rates of any G7 country, built the world’s largest offshore wind farms off our coasts, and became the first major economy to enshrine net zero by 2050 in law.
Both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer have been confronted by the reality of how voters respond to being asked to pay for green policies.
Voters are angered by the Ultra Low Emissions Zone which the Labour Mayor of London is imposing on them.
People in all three places had a pretty clear view about the unorthodox circumstances giving rise to the contests.
A by-election in the predecessor seat to Tamowrth in 1996 saw a Tory majority of 12.5 per cent become a 31.6 per cent Labour one.
Bear in mind that if a week is a long time in politics, 16 months is an eternity. A lot can happen between now and October 2024, surely the earliest date for the general election.
He is a Hillingdon Borough Councillor, representing South Ruislip – and is also a Deputy Chairman of Uxbridge & South Ruislip Conservative Association.
Sceptics will make valid points about this finding but there are good reasons to accept the picture at face value. It has him taking 50 per cent of the vote to Labour’s 33 per cent.
To the MPs involved, I misquote Obi-Wan Kenobi: strike Johnson down, and he will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.
These would allow individual streets, when a large majority of homeowners agree, to give themselves permission to increase the size of their houses.
If you want people to feel motivated to go out and vote Conservative, delivering some Conservative policies would be a good start.