James Cleverly has taken direct aim at Kemi Badenoch’s decision to ditch net zero targets by criticising what he called “neo-luddites” on the right who seem scared of using green technologies to protect the environment.
The senior Conservative MP, who lost to Badenoch in last year’s Tory leadership race, said it was a false choice to believe the UK had to choose between economic growth and protecting the environment. Badenoch has argued current net zero targets will harm the economy.
Cleverly’s comments, to be made in a speech on Wednesday evening to the Conservative Environment Network campaign group, also take aim at what he called “the negative left, suspicious of technology, believing things were better before the car”.
However, it is his coded if very obvious rebuff to Badenoch’s policy switch that will get attention given Cleverly has largely lain low since he was unexpectedly ejected from the Tory leadership race in the final round of MPs’ voting after an apparent mix-up in tactical voting.
In March, Badenoch announced that a Conservative government she led would ditch net zero targets put in place by Theresa May, saying they were “impossible” and would lead to higher energy prices.
At the speech in London, Cleverly will dismiss this idea, without naming his party leader, condemning “the negative right” who, he said, had a motto of: “All change, even for the better, is a bad idea.”
His speech will argue the Conservatives should embrace optimism and technological innovation on green issues: “The United Kingdom has a proud history of innovation. From the Norfolk crop rotation system, the steam engine, to the world wide web, we have been at the forefront of technological advancement.
“We can lead once again, this time in the realm of green technology … The UK is advancing rapidly in renewable energy generation, clean transport, and carbon capture. But we must push further, faster, and smarter.
“We [the Conservative party] must embrace a future where environmental policies encourage investment in new technologies, support the development of new industries, and create the jobs of tomorrow.”
Cleverly adds: “The idea that we must choose between a strong economy and protecting our environment is outdated. The future I believe in is one where these two aims go hand in hand, driving innovation and opportunity. That’s the future I want for the United Kingdom, and for the world.”
The speech marks the most high-profile call yet from a senior Tory MP for the party to stop chasing Reform UK on policy, with Nigel Farage’s party taking an even stronger line against net zero, including some of his MPs even questioning the basics of climate change science.
Badenoch became leader after defeating Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, in a vote of Conservative members after the party’s MPs had whittled the list of candidates down to two.
Cleverly, who was the shadow home secretary and the final remaining candidate from the party’s centre, had become favourite to win but was eliminated after what some Tories speculated was a botched attempt by his supporters to make sure he faced Jenrick in the runoff rather than Badenoch.
While Badenoch has since faced limited public dissent from her MPs, in private many are deeply unimpressed by her tenure so far, during which the party has slumped in the polls and developed little in the way of policy.
A Conservative party spokesperson said: “What James is saying about leaving the environment in a better place is exactly what Kemi said in her speech earlier in the year.”
“The fact is that James is a backbencher, he’s entitled to his views, but the policy of the Conservative party is that net zero is impossible – it will bankrupt the country and leave us dangerously reliant on countries like China for things like solar panels and heat pumps and car batteries.”
Asked whether Badenoch considered herself a “luddite”, the spokesperson said: “Kemi has set out the Conservative party’s view and that is our policy.”
