Rishi Sunak attended a protest alongside a group which has posted conspiracy theories about climate change, and which campaigns against net zero, the Observer can reveal.
The prime minister has been accused of “pandering to extremists” by farmers and wildlife groups, who have asked him to “listen to reason and logic” rather than conspiracy theories.
Sunak has been making a concerted effort to improve his party’s standing in rural areas after polling showed the majority of countryside seats are likely to be lost to Labour and the Liberal Democrats at the next general election. Last week, he gave the keynote address at the National Farmers’ Union conference where he told farmers “I have your back.”
On Friday, he attended a farmers’ protest against the Welsh Labour government, which is proposing to bring in a new payments scheme in which farmers will have to prove 10% of their land is woodland and 10% of it is quality habitat for wildlife. He appeared alongside farmer Gareth Wyn Jones and stood next to placards emblazoned with the logo for the campaign “No Farmers No Food”.
Wyn Jones is a leading supporter of the campaign, which was started and is being run by James Melville, a GB News pundit and communications consultant.
Sunak joined in the protest, along with Andrew RT Davies the Welsh Conservatives leader, telling those assembled with their tractors that they had been “treated as Labour’s laboratory”. Speaking to Wyn Jones, he said the new subsidies scheme was “absolutely not right, the impact it will have on your jobs, your livelihoods, your incomes and food production around the country. It’s simply wrong.”
The No Farmers No Food campaign is anti net-zero and has shared conspiracy theories about climate change action, while Melville has questioned the effects of climate breakdown as well as sharing conspiracy theories about net zero.
Its manifesto accuses the UK government of having an “obsession with net zero” and calls for it to end climate measures.
The Twitter/X account for the group shared a conspiracy theory that the World Economic Forum (WEF) is going to force people to eat bugs to reach net zero, retweeting a post from former LBC host Maajid Nawaz that said: “Farmers stand between us and WEF’s desire for us to EAT BUGS, own nothing and be happy.” Melville also shared a post with the conspiracist claim which stated: “Between Bill Gates, the CCP & the WEF, we’re going to have no private farmland left. They want you eating bugs.”
Melville has also shared fake news that local councils are forcing people into “climate lockdowns” and added: “Endless project fear. Very similar vibes on climate/net zero given off by the same people who pushed for lockdowns. And similar vilification issued against anyone who dares to question the narrative.”
Craig Bennett, CEO of the Wildlife Trusts, said the prime minister’s appearance at the protest was “deeply worrying”, adding: “Rather than pandering to extremists who don’t know what they’re talking about, Sunak should be talking to the farmers who are doing their utmost to alleviate biodiversity loss and the impacts of climate change. It would be nice if the prime minister paid a bit more attention to science, reason and logic.”
Arable farmer Martin Lines, CEO of the Nature Friendly Farming Network added: “We are already seeing significant impacts to our businesses and food production because of climate change and all the science says it is going to get significantly worse if we don’t reduce emissions. I find it very disappointing that the prime minister has gone to a protest for a group where one of their key asks is no to net zero measures.”
A government spokesperson did not address the claims, but said: “We are on the side of farmers and – just this week – we announced a major new package of support for rural communities to protect British farming for the next generation.
“This includes the largest ever grant offer for farmers in the coming financial year, expected to total £427m, including an unprecedented package of funding for technology and productivity schemes.”
Melville told the Observer: “These are individual views and not to do with the campaign which includes a lot of different credible people. The farming campaign is not a slavish obsession with net zero, far from it. It is to point out a number of key issues.”
On the opinions about climate lockdowns and the WEF forcing people to eat bugs, he said: “Every individual has a number of different viewpoints that they can openly express without being accused of being a conspiracy theorist.” He added that these climate views are not related to the farming campaign but are personal views.
Gareth Wyn Jones has been contacted for comment.
• This article was amended on 25 February 2024 because an earlier version said the Welsh government “has brought in a new payments scheme” for farmers. In fact the scheme is proposed and is under consultation.
