Abstract
This article outlines the Conservative Party’s approach to climate change from 2015-2022; focusing on its governing policy record and the wider political considerations which shaped it. During this time, the Conservatives’ mixed performance reflected competing political incentives for its leaders and internal party division on the issue. A detailed exploration of Conservative climate policies allows for two broader contributions. European centre right parties often face common strategic challenges, such as competition from the radical right, but the UK Conservative Party case study shows that responding to these challenges does not necessarily demand the abandonment of climate commitments. We also find evidence that in this period climate change embodied characteristics of both a positional and valence issue.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | British Politics |
| Early online date | 22 Nov 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 22 Nov 2022 |
Bibliographical note
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2022. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for detailsKeywords
- Climate change; UK climate policy; Conservative party; party politics; centre right parties.