Timmermans back in fray of Dutch politics with climate rallying cry for Europe's left

Frans Timmermans, a former EU heavyweight who has returned to Dutch politics to fight the country's election in November, has called for the European left to unite against the right's "astonishing" climate backlash.

- Senay Boztas

The former European Commission vice-president, who is leading the combined GreenLeft and Labour parties, believes progressives need to mobilise urgently against the radical right's attempt to brand environmental reforms "too costly".

Speaking to the Guardian in one of his first campaign interviews, Timmermans said the UK government was one of the countries rowing back on green pledges.

The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, announced a major U-turn on the government's climate commitments last month, pushing back the deadline for selling new petrol and diesel cars and the phasing out of gas boilers.

Timmermans said: "I think the imminent danger is an attempt by the right to say (and Sunak is a case in point): 'We cannot afford climate policy because it's too costly, especially for people who don't have a lot to spend.

"It's quite astonishing to see people who generally have not shown a lot of consideration for people with low incomes to all of a sudden become the champions of people with low incomes, fighting climate policy.

"They are doing it for clear economic interests. The threat to progressives, to the left, is that this contradiction between social justice and climate justice is exploited by the right and is divisive for the left."

Timmermans wants to reduce Dutch greenhouse gas emissions by 65% by 2030 - above the 55% EU target - and believes that a brake on climate action confuses business and consumers.

Sweden, as well as the UK, recently announced pushbacks on green targets and budgets, while there are negative noises from Germany about building insulation costs.