Johnson And Truss Join Tory Wind Farm Rebellion In Challenge To Rishi Sunak

Liz Truss and Boris Johnson at the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph earlier this month.

Liz Truss and Boris Johnson have joined a Tory rebellion on wind farms in a major challenge to Rishi Sunak’s authority.

The former prime ministers have put their names to an amendment in the name of former cabinet minister Simon Clarke calling for an end to the ban on new onshore wind farm developments.

It is the pair’s first major political interventions since they both left Downing Street over the summer.

Clarke, who was sacked as levelling up secretary by Sunak when he became PM last month, said in a tweet that he was “delighted” to have Truss and Johnson’s support.

He said allowing new onshore wind farms was “a pro growth, pro green policy at a time when we need both”.

Delighted to have the backing of @BorisJohnson and @trussliz, together with MPs from right across the Conservative Party, for my amendment to allow onshore wind where (and only where) there is community consent. A pro growth, pro green policy at a time when we need both.

— Simon Clarke MP (@SimonClarkeMP) November 24, 2022

Sunak has already been forced to back down over a separate amendment to the levelling up and regeneration bill following another Tory rebellion.

More than 50 Conservative MPs have put their names to an amendment which would mean councils would no longer have to follow Whitehall housebuilding targets.

A vote on the amendment was due to take place on Monday, but it was pulled by the government to avoid an embarrassing rebellion.

Labour accused Sunak of “running scared of your own backbenchers”.