Chris Annous
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chrisannous.bsky.social
Chris Annous
@chrisannous.bsky.social
Rugby Player | Stood for Parliament | Associate at More in Common
Thanks Dave - there's lots more detail and insights in the actual report if you have a chance to read that!
June 5, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Yes this really came out in the focus groups - the actual report goes into much more depth on this!
June 5, 2025 at 10:30 PM
There's much more analysis in the full report so please do read it and let me know your thoughts👇🏼
t.co/vmNHsMdeEB
https://www.moreincommon.org.uk/our-work/research/green-foundations-liberal-democrats-and-the-environment/
t.co
June 5, 2025 at 1:30 PM
The conjoint experiment found increasing awareness of Lib Dems environmental policies could be a significantly stronger driver of votes to the party than their more prominent anti-President Trump positioning.

This is the case for existing Lib Dem voters and voters as a whole.
June 5, 2025 at 1:30 PM
To robustly assess the potential electoral benefits of bold environmental positioning for the Liberal Democrats - we ran a policy conjoint experiment, comparing it with other potential dividing lines for the party with Labour.
June 5, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Both of these policies garnered strong support in our focus group conversations.

Our Liberal Democrat voters, particularly in North Cornwall, held deep anger towards water companies' perceived profiteering. They were also perplexed as to why so few homes had solar panels.
June 5, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Two clear winners emerged:

1)Protecting the Water Restoration Fund so water company fines are ringfenced for nature improvements.

2)Tightening the Future Homes Standard so solar panels and heat pumps are mandated on new build homes.
June 5, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Landing media coverage is a real challenge for the Lib Dems.
One way of getting it is through stunts.

Another is having genuinely distinct and substantive policies to push.
We tested some of the party's bolder and more distinctive environmental policies to see which land best.
June 5, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Low awareness of the party's environmental policies looks to be driving this failure - knowledge of Lib Dem environmental positions is even worse than knowledge of their positions in other policy areas.

This is driving perceptions the party doesn't prioritise the environment.
June 5, 2025 at 1:30 PM
However, the Lib Dems are not currently seizing this opportunity. Their own voters put the party only slightly ahead of the Green Party on environmental issues and they trail far behind among the general public more broadly.
June 5, 2025 at 1:30 PM
There is a real opening for the Lib Dems to position themselves as the strongest major party on environmental issues.

Lib Dem voters, and Britons more generally, think both the previous and current government's environmental record is poor - particularly on sewage pollution.
June 5, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Lib Dem voters also don't believe there is a trade-off between action to protect local nature and the environment at the global level.

Instead, they see the two as reinforcing each other.
June 5, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Liberal Democrat MPs also don't need to worry about being seen to be spending too much time campaigning on environmental issues over more bread and butter issues.

Lib Dem voters say they would respond positively to seeing their local MP raise environmental issues in Parliament.
June 5, 2025 at 1:30 PM
There is also no need for the party's MPs to engage in environmental NIMBYISM.

Lib Dem voters say they would feel more negatively towards their local MP if they opposed a, hypothetical, solar farm project in their constituency on the grounds of protecting local green spaces.
June 5, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Lib Dem voters are also significantly more willing to incur costs to support environmental action - providing Ed Davey with greater scope to be bold on environmental issues than other party leaders.
June 5, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Lib Dem voters also see the environment as an important electoral issue.

Asked for the top reasons for voting for the party - a third of Lib Dem voters select at least one environmental issue, making it the biggest single driver of votes to the party.
June 5, 2025 at 1:30 PM
From our focus groups of Lib Dem voters in Wokingham and North Cornwall - it became clear that Lib Dem voters see tackling the environment as a moral issue.

The conversations revealed an emotional attachment to nature - particularly at the local level.
June 5, 2025 at 1:30 PM
The environment is a real priority for Lib Dem voters - they are nearly twice as likely than Britons overall to say climate change and the environment is one of the top issues facing Britain today.
June 5, 2025 at 1:30 PM
On Reform. Their support is real and they deserve to be taken seriously.

That also means the media not just asking whether they can win but also scrutinising what they want to do if do actually win.
December 28, 2024 at 9:50 PM