On net zero, the Conservatives are increasingly estranged from business

But there were some significant interventions from key party members in favour of the green transition. At Theresa May’s Conservative Environment Network (CEN) reception there was a long queue out of the door. “To be a conservative is to conserve,” the former prime minister told the crowd. “Net zero isn’t a cost to be minimised, it shouldn’t be seen as that. It is the growth opportunity of the century.”

Chris Skidmore, a former energy minister and chairman of the government’s net-zero review, also came out fighting, emphasising the impact that diluting policies could have on business. He told a fringe event:

“It’s undeniable that investors who are making decisions at this moment… are all looking for that long-term certainty.”

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