The Changing Electoral Politics of Pursuing Climate Action in the UK

Action on climate policy in the UK has been at a crossroads since 2021. The UK's previously world-leading performance in emissions reduction was derived largely from eliminating coal from electricity supply and relied on a broad political consensus regarding the issue's importance. The next stage of emissions reduction is more contentious, however, and at the same time, the underlying consensus across political parties has collapsed. Actors pushing for accelerated climate action need to consider that such action is now fiercely contested. The UK's local elections in 2026 provide the latest signals regarding how political-electoral pressures may shape climate action. We argue that there are powerful reasons for governments not to give in to pressures to backtrack on climate action, especially where such action might also generate electoral payoffs.