Coutinho appointment renews hope for net zero

Rishi Sunak kicked off the new parliamentary session early by delivering his mini Cabinet reshuffle last week. Ben Wallace had made the unusual decision of pre-announcing his Cabinet retirement, which encouraged months of jockeying from potential replacements - including some interesting and not-too-subtle photo ops.

However, the Prime Minister sprung a relative surprise by appointing Grant Shapps as the Defence Secretary. Despite no obvious military background, Shapps is a Sunak loyalist and regarded as one of the Government's best communicators. Given No 10's keenness to highlight its ongoing and unwavering support for Ukraine, we can expect to regularly see Shapps on the broadcast rounds in the run up to next year's anticipated General Election.

But what of Shapps' old role as Energy Security & Net Zero Secretary? He will be replaced by newcomer Claire Coutinho, the MP for East Surrey and first member of the 2019 intake to join the Cabinet. She is the daughter of immigrants, educated at fee-paying James Allen's Girls' School (JAGS) in Dulwich before studying at Oxford. She started her career in the City, before joining the Centre for Policy Studies and then serving as a Treasury Special Adviser to none other than Rishi Sunak.

Her personal backstory and career trajectory is remarkably similar to that of her former and current boss. She is widely considered a rising star within the Conservative Party and is certainly one to watch in the future.

What challenges await Coutinho in her new role? Whether it's sky-high energy bills, support for new renewable energy projects or the Government's wider commitment to net zero following the ULEZ-dominated Uxbridge by-election, she will certainly need to hit the ground running. In an effort to decipher how she will tackle these issues, Coutinho's political past offers some encouraging clues.

In her maiden speech in Parliament, she praised the offshore wind industry as one of the great UK success stories. She is a member of the Conservative Environment Network, a pro net zero caucus within the Conservative Party, and has publicly spoken out against fracking. She has also called for the public to be shielded from the financial burden of net zero, a nuanced position of supporting decarbonisation but seeking market-based solutions to avoid financial levies on consumers.

One obvious solution to this problem would be working with DLUHC to provide clear planning guidance for renewable energy projects. Reports in today's Telegraph suggest backbenchers - including former PM Liz Truss - are already seeking to force the Government's hand regarding onshore wind projects. The irony of Truss' support for onshore wind is unlikely to be lost on the solar industry, following the uncertainty caused as a result of her leadership campaign and premiership. An early statement of support for all forms of renewable energy projects from Coutinho would no doubt help reassure the industry and councillors across the country as to the Government’s intentions.

This solution becomes even more obvious when considered against recent polling by Renewables UK and Opinium on attitudes towards renewable energy developments. In spite of the unhelpful rhetoric regarding 'the industrialisation of the countryside', recent polling shows the British public is overwhelmingly in favour of renewable energy.

Almost 80% of voters support increasing investment in renewable energy to make the UK a net energy exporter by 2030. Almost 50% of voters think Rishi Sunak has not gone far enough to tackle climate change and increase the use of renewables in the UK. And almost 50% think that growing the UK's renewable energy sector would have a positive impact on their energy bills.

As we approach the General Election, MPs on all sides will become even more attuned to public attitudes and concerns. The UK public has made clear they support renewable energy projects to help us achieve both net zero and lower energy bills. This should be music to the ears of Claire Coutinho. Let us hope she is listening.