A survey suggests most people will be influenced by climate issues when deciding who to vote for

(Picture: Getty)

More than half of voters say climate issues will affect their choice at the December 12 general election, a new survey suggests.

Nearly two-thirds said politicians are not talking about climate change enough while 70 per cent think the issue demands more urgent action, according a survey for environmental lawyers ClientEarth.

Headline climate stories such as this month’s Extinction Rebellion protests may have pushed global warming further up the agenda since the firm surveyed a sample of 2,001 adults in September.

Popular policies included greater investment in green infrastructure, supported by 63 per cent of respondents, and 64 per cent wanted the government to plant more trees or reforest land.




Some 61 per cent agreed with bringing forward the Government’s 2050 deadline to reduce net carbon emissions to zero.

The survey questions largely emphasised the positive impact of policies without mentioning costs.

Brexit, crime, the NHS and regional issues will feature heavily on the agenda (Picture: PA)

Pollsters widely agree Brexit will be by far the biggest issue for voters after Boris Johnson called the snap poll to break the logjam in parliament over his latest withdrawal agreement bill.

An Ipsos MORI survey found 60% of voters saw EU/Brexit issues as the most pressing facing the country in August, up from around 40% at the last general election in 2017.

The popularity of Mr Johnson’s revised deal is likely to be tested, as well as Labour’s proposal to renegotiate the agreement, the Lib Dems’ offer of an immediate second EU referendum.

Scottish voters will weigh up the SNP’s plan to ransom an independence referendum for its support, while the status of Northern Ireland within the UK’s customs arrangements post-Brexit will feature sharply in the six counties.

Indications of electoral pacts on all sides of the commons could also electrify the poll if parties agree on them.

Crime concerns rose to 29%, the joint-highest level since the 2011 riots.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon on the campaign trail in Stirling today (Picture: PA)

The NHS fell from around 50% to 43% in the same period, while immigration and the economy have also slipped down the agenda.

However voters’ concerns could change rapidly as party campaigns get under way.

Labour’s better-than-expected performance in 2017, for example, was widely attributed to the leadership’s efforts to focus debate away from Brexit onto social issues.

Strains on the NHS and cost-of-living concerns may be pushed up the agenda as fuel-poor Britons may be hit by Britain’s coldest winter in 30 years.

As well as health, the government’s record on education, local authority funding and social services is likely to feature as it has in previous elections.

Controversies surrounding the implementation of Universal Credit continue to make headlines.

Popular regional concerns include HS2, a hot topic across the constituencies where it will be built, while Labour and the Tories have made competing assurances on infrastructure projects in the North of England.