The Tories have been dragged into an internal row over environment policy after unexpectedly holding the Uxbridge by-election on the back of opposition to a clean air scheme.
Michael Gove on Sunday warned his colleagues against “treating the cause of the environment as a religious crusade” and called for a relaxation of some net zero measures.
But Zac Goldsmith, the former minister who quit the government over Rishi Sunak’s climate policies, said it would be “cynical and idiotic” to scrap climate measures on the back of a single by-election result.
It comes after the Conservatives narrowly held a by-election in the outer London seat of Uxbridge, overcoming expectations after a campaign centred around opposing an upcoming extension of the Ultra-low emission zone.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is extending the zone from the end of August and says it will improve air quality for five million Londoners by charging those with the most polluting to enter the city limits.
Despite polls showing strong support for the scheme across London it is less popular in outer London, especially among Tory voters who Labour targeted in Uxbridge.
Now the result has prompted some Tories to consider whether the environment could be their route to denying Keir Starmer a majority next year.
“I don’t think Labour are alive to this at all”, housing secretary Mr Gove wrote in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper.
“If people think that you are treating the cause of the environment as a religious crusade, in which you’re dividing the world into goodies and baddies, then you alienate the support that you need for thoughtful environmentalism.”
But speaking to the Observer newspaper former minister Zac Goldsmith said it would be “politically suicidal” to ditch environmental policies given their “very deep and wide support”.
“Byelection results can be interpreted in countless ways, and it is the nature of politicians and political commentators to wedge their own prejudices into the outcomes,” he said.
“But to use these recent results to advocate abandonment of the UK’s previous environmental leadership is cynical and idiotic.”
When Lord Goldsmith resigned at the end of June he noted that the government has already ditched a flagship animal welfare bill and abandoned pledge to spend £11.6bn of UK aid on climate and environment.