Three quarters of Tory voters back onshore wind

Nearly three quarters of Conservative voters support onshore wind, according to a new survey.

The survey carried out by Survation for the Conservative Environment Network revealed 74 per cent of people who voted Tory in the last general election support onshore wind, compared to an average of 71 per cent of all voters.

It also found that just 37 per cent of Tory voters support fracking, compared to a quarter of all people.

The survey also revealed support for onshore wind is particularly high in eight of the 10 Conservative target swing seats.

Another poll commissioned by the Conservative Environment Network, which was carried out by Opinium, showed that more than half (53 per cent) of British adults support children taking time out of school to voice their concerns about climate change.

The polling also showed that 70 per cent of the public believe it’s important that the British government reduces greenhouse gas emissions to zero.

Commenting on the survey, RenewableUK’s deputy chief executive Emma Pinchbeck, said: “Now that the government has done the right thing by committing to net zero, it needs to unblock the cheapest technology, onshore wind, to allow the UK to hit the target at the lowest cost.

“This new polling shows that’s what Conservative voters want, and it explodes the myth that onshore wind is less popular in rural areas. The survey also shows that the current block on onshore wind is out of step with public opinion – most people are wise to the fact that onshore wind is a cheap and vital part of our clean energy future.”

Last month, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) branded the government “foolish” for not allowing onshore windfarms to be exploited.

During the opening session of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) committee’s inquiry into financing green infrastructure, Tom Thackray, director of infrastructure and energy at the CBI, told the committee that the business body is keen for the upcoming energy white paper to outline a “way forward” on the financing of onshore wind and solar projects when it is published.

And in 2017, the Conservative think tank Bright Blue published details of a poll, which showed 53 per cent of Tory voters said renewable energy generation was one of their top three environmental priorities.

And despite a party manifesto pledge in 2015 to “halt the spread of subsidised onshore windfarms”, 59 per cent said they would back more onshore wind, provided certain conditions were met in the Bright Blue survey.