Last Updated on May 28, 2024 by Silvy
No Tory MPs voted positively on climate issues since party took power, study finds
Liberal Democrats (UK)
UK political party
Founded: 1988
Political Position: Membership (2023)
90,000+
No elected Tory MPs have been rated as voting positively on climate issues, under a survey of parliamentary voting patterns since the Conservatives took power in 2010. Only a single sitting Conservative, Lisa Cameron, the MP for East Kilbride, who defected from the Scottish National Party in October, was rated as “good” on climate votes in the ranking.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats dominated the list of MPs rated “very good” on the climate, for their votes on a wide range of legislation, from fracking to the burning of upland peat. MPs were awarded points for their positive votes, minus points for those that had a negative impact on the climate, and this was divided by the number of votes in which they could have taken part, in order to arrive at a final score.
VoteClimate, an organisation set up to inform UK voters on how to cast their ballots for maximum impact on climate policy, examined all of the votes in parliament since 2010 on energy, transport, finance, housing and other issues that have an impact on the climate crisis. The site will rate the policies of each party against climate objectives and provide information on how voters can maximise their positive impact on climate policies.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats have been consistently rated as supporting climate action, with many of their MPs receiving high scores for their votes on climate-related legislation. In contrast, Conservative MPs have been less supportive of climate action, with many receiving low scores for their votes on climate-related legislation.
The analysis by VoteClimate highlights the need for voters to be informed about the climate policies of each party and to hold their elected representatives accountable for their actions on climate change. By making it easier for people to compare the climate policies of each party, VoteClimate hopes to demonstrate the potential impact of people coordinating their votes on what it believes is a key priority for a large slice of the electorate.
References:
https://electricityinfo.org/news/climate-politics-23/
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/11/tory-mps-five-times-more-likely-to-vote-against-climate-action
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/28/no-tory-mps-voted-positively-on-climate-issues-since-party-took-power-study-finds
https://voteclimate.uk/mps/best_climate_voting_mps.htm
