Appetite for government intervention to reduce the use of packaging, either through taxes or bans, is lower among MPs than with the public, new research has found.
A YouGov poll found that less than half (49%) of MPs support intervention to tackle single-use plastic packaging, compared with over two-thirds (68%) of the public.
The survey, which was commissioned by Cavendish Consulting, found that support among MPs was also lower than among the public for new measures on single-use cardboard, metal and glass packaging.
The polling revealed dividing lines between the Conservative and Labour parties, with Labour MPs far more supportive (72%) than Tories (29%) on intervening to reduce the use of single-use plastic.
However, Labour MPs were less supportive of increasing intervention to reduce the use of single-use cardboard (39%), metal (19%) and glass (16%) packaging.
The head of insight at Cavendish Consulting, David Button, said: ‘Our polling clearly shows that MPs are generally unsupportive of either increasing taxes, or telling consumers and businesses what materials they can and can’t use.’
He added that while Labour MPs are ‘far more aligned’ with the public on several issues, it is unlikely that policies that increase taxes or seek to ban packaging waste will become part of the party’s manifesto while consumers continue to experience the cost-of-living crisis.
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