Reform UK, the hard-right populist party led by Nigel Farage, has positioned opposition to net-zero policies and climate science as central to its political platform. Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader and energy spokesperson, has been particularly vocal in criticizing what he terms “net stupid zero” and has stated that a Reform government would abandon the UK’s net-zero target, expand fossil fuel development, and cancel renewable energy contracts. Farage has also expressed climate-skeptic views and attributed Britain’s industrial decline to net-zero policies. These positions are grounded in long-standing climate-denial narratives reflected across the party’s manifestos, local government actions, and supporter base.
A comprehensive factcheck has identified 45 false or misleading claims made by Reform’s leadership regarding climate, renewables, and net-zero policies. One example involves Tice’s assertion that human-caused CO2 presents no evidence of climate change, a claim contradicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which states it is “unequivocal” that humans have warmed the planet. Tice cited a Norwegian report to support his position, but Statistics Norway clarified the report does not represent the bureau’s official stance and has been characterized by climate scientists as containing standard climate-denial talking points.
Tice has also claimed the climate naturally cycles through various timescales, a statement classified as misleading. While natural factors such as volcanic eruptions and solar variations do influence Earth’s climate on shorter timescales, scientists have determined these have limited effect on long-term warming trends. Current global temperatures are approximately 1.4 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels, likely making Earth hotter than at any point in approximately 125,000 years, with scientists attributing roughly 100 percent of this warming to human activity.
Another false claim involved Tice suggesting that humans cannot control the power of the sun or volcanoes, implying these are responsible for current warming. Scientists overwhelmingly agree humans have caused 100 percent of recent climate change, with solar and volcanic factors having minimal bearing on long-term temperature trends since the Industrial Revolution. Farage’s statement that humans produce only 3 percent of annual global CO2 emissions was deemed misleading, as this figure ignores the disruption of Earth’s natural carbon cycle caused by industrial-era fossil fuel burning.
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