Analysis: Constituencies with most green jobs are in Tory heartlands

Of the 10 constituencies in England and Wales with the most green jobs, eight are held by Conservative MPs, according to a new analysis from Friends of the Earth.

In a study published this morning, the environmental campaign group has looked at how constituencies across the UK fare across a number of environmental metrics, including numbers of clean jobs, bus service provision, sewage pollution, levels of home insulation, and flood risk.

The data suggests the areas with the highest numbers of green jobs are represented by Tory MPs – a finding Friends of the Earth said underscored the electoral risk Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was taking with his efforts to “make opposition to ambitious climate action” a “cornerstone” of his campaign for re-election.

“When some of the areas with the highest number of green jobs and most developed clean industries within the sector are held by the Conservatives, it begs the question why the party is failing so miserably to recognise the huge economic benefits that can be gained by embracing the green transition,” said Mike Childs, head of policy at Friends of the Earth. “That’s without acknowledging the fact that voters of all stripes overwhelmingly support action to protect climate and nature.”

Sunak has repeatedly stressed that the government aims to deliver on all the UK’s climate targets and the Party’s manifesto this week confirmed it would continue with a range of policies designed to accelerate clean energy deployment. But the Prime Minister has also argued the UK should continue to drill for more fossil fuels and delay the pace of decarbonisation in a number of key areas, suggesting a ‘pragmatic’ approach to the net zero transition would result in lower costs for households and enhanced energy security. 

Labour, the Lib Dems, the Greens, and a host of environmental groups have rejected Sunak’s analysis, arguing increased investment in clean technologies would reduce costs for households and reduce the UK’s reliance on fossil fuel imports.   

Supplied to the campaigning organisation by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) and CBI Economics, today’s analysis calculated that the 17,000 green jobs located across eight Conservative constituencies added £2.1bn to the national economy each year. And it noted that close to £3bn was added to the economy by green jobs in the top 10 areas, which include two Labour-held seats.

Friends of the Earth said that across all Conservative seats, there are 395,000 jobs in clean industries, which collectively account for £33.8bn in economic value annually.

The green jobs data is part of a wider suite of data now available on the Friends of the Earth website via a postcode mapping tool, which allows users to check how their constituency is faring on a number of environmental issues, from home insulation and tree cover to water pollution.

The findings reveal there are 40 constituencies across England and Wales where more than 60 per cent of homes require essential energy saving upgrades. Of this number, more than half are held by Conservative MPs.

The data also reveals the majority of the 21 constituencies which saw more than 4,000 incidents of sewage pollution into waterways last year were held by Conservatives, including the Prime Minister’s seat in Richmond and Northallerton, where sewage was discharged for more than 33,000 hours.

“This analysis gives a snapshot of how people’s lives are being affected by environmental harms in constituencies all over the country, but what’s abundantly clear is that the state of the environment, public health, UK housing and the economy are all inextricably linked,” Childs said. “Leaders must start using a joined-up approach to address these issues if we’re to avert worsening outcomes for people and planet.”

The data also reveals that high levels of air pollution are a widespread issue across England and Wales, but noted that 11 out of 12 areas where people were most affected were in Labour constituencies.

And it noted that 213 of the 575 constituencies in England and Wales were threatened by extreme heat across every single neighbourhood, including all 75 constituencies in London.

The analysis also suggests some 257 constituencies are at risk of one type of flooding in every single neighbourhood – river, coastal or surface – whereas 555 constituencies are threatened by flooding in at least 50 per cent of their neighbourhoods.

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