Not easy being green
Still, the party’s strong anti-renewables stance is also making some across the City nervous, given the long-term plans of financial firms and the billions they have pumped into the sector.
Bernard Fairman, executive chair of FTSE 250 investment firm Foresight Group, said he was set to meet with Tice imminently, having previously met Rupert Lowe (who is no longer a member of the party and now sits as an independent MP).
“The reason I’m seeing [Tice] is he sent a letter out to people like me, saying you manage lots of renewable energy assets … we’re against that and we may not stand behind the contracts” that the government has already signed, Fairman said.
In addition, the one thing that markets hate is uncertainty. The rotating carousel of Reform MPs, coupled with the potential risks that come with a brand-new party set up only six years ago, means some feel more concern than opportunity.
“It is a risk in the background at the moment,” said Anna Rosenberg, head of geopolitics at Amundi. “There’s so many more pressing short-term issues that are here already.”
However, the rise of Reform isn’t without precedent. Similar political waves have occurred across Europe, without causing a complete fracturing between the government and the financial industry.