New polling from More in Common for the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) conducted in the days running up to the local elections found that on net-zero, two-thirds (68 per cent) of voters said they thought the UK should at least try or be doing everything we can to hit its 2050 target with just under a fifth (19 per cent) saying the country should not be trying.

Two-fifth of voters (44 per cent) believe it is essential to reach net-zero in order to stop climate change, with a third believing it is not essential.

The top issue determining voting intention (39 per cent) was the cost of living, and of those energy bills (62 per cent), food shopping (61 per cent) and fuel (39 per cent) prices were the top three voter concerns.

On energy, support for renewable energy sources remains strong across the board, with the public backing onshore wind (70per cent), offshore wind (72 per cent) and solar farms (73per cent).

A warning for the future is that food prices are on track to rise 50 per cent above pre-crisis levels by November this year, driven in part by the volatile oil and gas markets and climate change. Three of England’s worst harvests on record have happened in the past five years as a result of extreme wet, hot and dry weather.

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