LONDON, UK — 30 April 2025 — The Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) today welcomed what appears to be a significant shift in tone from former Prime Minister Tony Blair regarding the UK’s climate and energy policy, highlighting growing awareness of the economic and political costs of the Net Zero agenda.
Lord Mackinlay, Director of the GWPF, made the following statement:
I am pleased to see former PM Tony Blair making the transformation to climate realism.
As a skilled political operator he can see that unilaterally imposed high electricity prices, deindustrialisation and ever more unpopular policies which restrict choice and freedom on the altar of Net Zero will always be rejected by the electorate.
Will the Prime Minister take note and sack his out-of-control Energy Minister, Ed Miliband?
His remarks follow Blair’s recent comments expressing concern about the practical viability of the UK’s unilateral decarbonisation targets. He had warned that people are “being asked to make financial sacrifices and changes in lifestyle when they know that their impact on global emissions is minimal… any strategy based on either ‘phasing out’ fossil fuels in the short term or limiting consumption is a strategy doomed to fail”.
The GWPF has consistently raised concerns about the affordability and effectiveness of the UK’s Net Zero policies. Lord Mackinlay’s intervention highlights a growing recognition from elements of the policymaking establishment that the current approach is not sustainable.
Public Frustration Mounts
Surveys show public support for Net Zero policies drops sharply once the financial and lifestyle costs are explained. Bans on gas boilers, petrol vehicles, and other top-down restrictions are proving increasingly unpopular.
Polling by Lord Ashcroft earlier this year showed that 62% of the public now agree that Net Zero will mean higher costs for their household, with 55% agreeing that households and businesses could not afford these costs, even if that meant putting off achieving Net Zero.
About the GWPF
The Global Warming Policy Foundation is a non-partisan think tank and a registered educational charity that focuses on climate and energy policy. We are deeply concerned about the impact of climate change policies: that they may be doing more harm than good, both to the world’s poorest people and the environment. Our aim is to provide robust and reliable analysis of climate and energy issues, based on rigorous research, for policymakers and the general public.
Media contact: Harry Wilkinson
harry.wilkinson@thegwpf.org
+44 (0)20 7340 6044