Rishi Sunak is poised to order a review of the controversial 2030 ban on new petrol cars according to Government sources, who told the Mail the Prime Minister is “open” to a rethink amid mounting concern about the impact of costly green policies on household budgets.
Signalling a shift in approach yesterday, the PM said that in the future, the U.K.’s Net Zero ambitions would be pursued in a “proportionate and pragmatic way that doesn’t unnecessarily give people more hassle and more costs in their lives”.
Mr. Sunak ducked questions about whether he remained committed to the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars.
But a Government source said: “It is fair to say he would be open to reviewing it. There is no review at the moment, but he wants to make sure we are always taking a proportionate and pragmatic approach, particularly as we are way ahead of a lot of other countries on a lot of this green stuff, including vehicles.”
No. 10 confirmed that the Government’s green pledges were being looked at again in the light of their unpopularity and potential impact on the cost of living – raising the prospect they could be ditched before the next election.
The move is a significant breakthrough for the Mail’s Rethink The 2030 Petrol Car Ban campaign.
It follows the Tories’ unexpected victory in last week’s Uxbridge by-election, where Labour faced a backlash over Sadiq Khan’s plan to expand the controversial Ulez scheme to cover the whole of Greater London.
Craig Mackinlay, Chairman of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group of Tory MPs, said the by-election result had provided a “reality check” for the Government’s headlong dash to cut carbon emissions.
Mr. Mackinlay said the proposed 2030 car ban was “uniquely stupid” – and predicted it would be ditched along with other targets in order to contrast with Labour’s “madcap ‘Net Zero now’ policies”.
“Uxbridge is the first time we have had one of these green issues on the ballot paper, and the result was that by opposing it, we crept over the line,” he said. “It’s the first time we have had clear blue water with Labour on one of these issues and it’s unlikely to be the last.”
Tory MPs have piled pressure on the Government to water down its green pledges after the Uxbridge result.
Worth reading in full.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.