Political Leadership

Tracker data: Low levels of trust in political parties to speak about climate change

29 November 2023

Climate Barometer tracker data shows that the public, and strikingly MPs, do not put the political party they voted for in the top three most trusted sources to speak on the subject of climate change.

In the public data, only 2% selected this option, including only 1% of Conservative voters.

For MPs, the figure is higher at 14%, but hardly a ringing endorsement.

Because of the way the question was asked, sources with the ‘credentials’ to speak on climate change are likely to have been preferentially selected. However, the fact that the voters for (and political representatives of) their own political parties don’t see themselves as being trusted on climate suggests there is a space in the national political discourse for credible, climate-literate politicians.

The top three trusted messengers for MPs are:

1) Academics, 2) Naturalists such as David Attenborough and Chris Packham, and 3) The Climate Change Committee.

The top three trusted messengers for the public are:

1) Scientists, 2) Naturalists such as David Attenborough and Chris Packham, and 3) None of the above.

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The latest from the Political Leadership timeline:

Climate Barometer Tracker 1st October 2026

Tracker data: Mandate for more government action on climate stays strong

Data from the latest wave of the Climate Barometer tracker shows that most of the public and MPs think the government should ‘do more’ or ‘is doing the right amount’ on climate. Only 17% among the public and 15% of MPs say that the government is ‘doing too much’ to address the issue.

This holds true across most public voter groups: supporters of all parties except Reform are most likely to say the government should be ‘doing more’ on climate, with 45% of Labour, 35% of Conservative, 61% of Lib Dem and 75% of Green supporters selecting this option. Whilst more than 1 in 3 (37%) Reform backers think the government is ‘doing too much’ to address climate change, even among this group, 28% still want the government to ‘do more’.

Among MPs, the picture is shows a much clearer split along partisan lines: Labour members are unsurprisingly most likely to say that the government is doing ‘the right amount’ (58%), whereas 7 in 10 Conservatives (70%) say that the government is doing ‘too much’ to address climate change, reflecting Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s self-declared “net zero sceptic” stance.

Opinion Insight 30th September 2026

Net zero support remains steady for both MPs and the public

‘Net zero’ has made national headlines in September, with an Energy Security and Net Zero committee report recommending that the government stop talking about net zero, to Prime Minister Andy Burnham reaffirming the policy, a few hours later, explicitly stating the need for the UK to reach net zero by 2050.

Our latest data shows that holding steady is the right move, with net zero still receiving majority support among the public and MPs, and even trending upward slightly.

While it is clear that ‘net zero’ is not the most compelling communications phrase, it is also apparent that the public understand and are willing to support it, especially when linked back to its purpose, to address climate change. Rather than ditching the term, our work suggests that talking about the government’s net zero target is best done when connected to compelling reasons ‘why’, and clear explanations for ‘how’ it can be achieved.

Commentary & Analysis 27th July 2026

New MP polling as Burnham enters Number 10

As Andy Burnham takes office as Prime Minister, our latest wave of MP data reveals that most remain firmly behind climate policies.

Read the full piece New MP polling as Burnham enters Number 10

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