A government-run survey has cast doubt on Labour\u2019s push for net zero as Brits fear that it would push up living expenses in both the short and long term.<\/p>\n
The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero\u2019s (DESNZ) own research<\/a> has suggested that the government is losing the public\u2019s faith in its mission to cut energy bills<\/a> by accelerating Britain\u2019s energy transition away from fossil fuels.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Whitehall-run survey found that 69 per cent of people believed net zero policies would increase their living expenses in the next two years, a rise of four percentage points compared to the last time the research was conducted.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brits were also more negative (41 per cent) about the impacts of net zero on the UK economy in the short term than positive (22 per cent).\u00a0<\/p>\n In the long term, the number of people believing net zero would push up energy bills and other expenses was double those who predicted expenses to fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n But respondents were more positive about the benefits of net zero in the long term, though the number of people taking a more negative view about long-term impacts had increased on the quarter.\u00a0<\/p>\n While the survey showed that four in five (79 per cent) remain concerned about climate change, it showed wide fractures in public sentiment about solutions<\/a> to lowering energy bills and protecting the UK against risks.<\/p>\n The findings come as net zero secretary Ed Miliband is facing intense scrutiny over a Labour pledge to cut energy bills by \u00a3300 by 2030 through pushing for clean power.\u00a0<\/p>\n The economist Pawel Czyzak, the author of a report Labour used to come up with its figure, said the rising costs of offshore wind and other electricity costs risked meaning any potential savings are \u201cwiped out\u201d, adding that the current situation was \u201cmuch different\u201d to 2023 when the analysis was produced.\u00a0<\/p>\n Net zero under fire<\/p>\n The biggest energy security concern across the DESNZ survey were higher energy prices, followed by a lack of investment in alternative sources of energy.\u00a0<\/p>\n The survey also recorded a falling level of awareness about heat pumps and a higher number of people saying they would not install them.\u00a0<\/p>\n A minority of Brits \u2013 18 per cent \u2013 said they would be happy to have energy infrastructure<\/a> built in local areas, a smaller number than seen at the same time last year. A lower proportion of people also said they would be happy for onshore wind farms or solar farms to be built in nearby areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n Research by DESNZ raises questions on whether the Labour government has managed to maintain public support levels for net zero amid suggestions some policies could be watered down.\u00a0<\/p>\n Industry groups and think tanks, as well as President Donald Trump, are urging the Labour government to support North Sea oil and gas projects.\u00a0<\/p>\n Business groups have called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to remove windfall taxes on energy giants including Shell and BP while the Tony Blair Institute<\/a> has called on Labour to ditch its 2030 clean power target and focus on lowering energy bills.\u00a0<\/p>\n The author of the TBI report, Tone Langengen, said the transition to clean power should be \u201cat a pace that doesn\u2019t lock the public into higher prices for longer\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe must keep the public with us and make the transition affordable. Ordinary families understandably care about their bills and their jobs, not meeting arbitrary targets.\u201d<\/p>\n Net zero now a political dividing line<\/p>\n