Good morning. Seven weeks from today, counting will be taking place for the English local elections and, unless the polls are more wrong than they have ever been before, Reform UK will be celebrating record wins. The commentary will focus on the implications for national politics. But councils have significant powers, and a report today says Reform wins in local government could have a significant impact on climate policy.
We know that Reform UK are opposed to net zero, and they have pledged to cut green subsidies, but there is still some lack of clarity as to exactly what they would do on climate policy more generally. Some Reform UK figures refuse point-blank to acknowledge that human-made global heating is a reality. Others claim they are just opposed to the pace of transition to renewables. But Nigel Farage, the party leader, has a long history of climate change scepticism.
To explore this in more detail, the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the LSE has invesgtigated what Reform UK has been doing in the councils it has been running since it won them last May, and it has published its report this morning. Here are the key findings.
• Seven Reform UK-led councils have “scrapped” their climate targets and climate change denial has been expressed by Reform UK councillors in five councils. Some of these councils have removed content about climate change from strategy documents.
• While work related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions continues in these councils, mitigating climate change is no longer explicitly cited as the motivation.
• However, there is variation in how “scrapping net zero” is being implemented, reflecting an apparent divergence of views within the party.
• There is also a lack of clarity in the party’s claims of how “scrapping net zero” has achieved financial savings and how the party defines expenditure on net zero.
• Reform UK is likely to win control of more local authorities in May 2026, including further unitary authorities with responsibilities for planning applications and housing, policy areas of importance to national climate targets.
• National government will face greater challenges in ensuring that local authorities contribute to the delivery of legislative and policy climate goals if Reform UK wins more seats.
This chart sets out what has been happening in the 10 councils where Reform UK has full control.
Edward de Quay, one of the analysts who wrote the report, said:
In our study we found that ‘scrapping net zero’ is not only a policy position but a signal of a broader retreat from treating climate change as urgent. This takes the form of both delaying action and outright climate change denial. Voters should be aware that this is the case.
In the upcoming local elections in May, should Reform UK expand its council base, we can expect further retreat from climate action. The government must be alert to this challenge, given the importance of local authorities to the delivery of national climate goals.
Here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Steve Reed, the housing secretary, is on a visit.
10am: Peers resume their debate on the assisted dying bill.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
Afternoon: Kemi Badenoch is on a visit in the south of England.
If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (between 10am and 3pm), or message me on social media. I can’t read all the messages BTL, but if you put “Andrew” in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.
If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.
I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.