Andy Burnham has been warned that going through with a 2030 ban on petrol and diesel cars would "cripple the economy". The warning comes as the government consults on a major change to its zero-emission vehicle policy.
Government consults on lowering sales targets
Current government policy is that there will be an outright ban on selling purely petrol or diesel cars past 2030. All new cars and vans will need to be 100% zero emission by 2035. At the moment, vehicle manufacturers must ensure that a proportion of the cars they sell annually are zero emissions. The target will increase each year to reach 80% by 2030.
Officials are now considering lowering that figure, which could end up as low as 50% of all sales by the end of the decade, following criticism from vehicle makers. This will be consulted on until late October.
FairFuelUK founder issues stark warning
Motoring expert Howard Cox, founder of FairFuelUK, has warned that the outright ban on petrol and diesel cars could result in disaster. His campaign has "repeatedly shown that this virtue-signalling 2030 ban on diesel and petrol will cost at least five times the alleged environmental benefits".
Mr Cox said: "Keeping the 2030 ban will cripple the UK economy and will not accelerate the uptake of expensive EVs. The Government is forcing them onto us without consultation and is relying on subsidies and tax breaks to bribe us all into submission. And the national grid simply cannot cope with the extra load required to keep the nation fully charged."
EU shifts stance on fossil-fuel car ban
He added that the EU has "sensibly" put back its ban on new fossil-fuel car sales. The bloc is shifting its stance from a 2035 ban on petrol and diesel cars, and 90% of new cars sold from 2035 will have to be zero-emission, rather than all of them.
Mr Cox said: "Wanting to lead the way with an ill-informed, clueless approach that wrecks the UK economy for pure ideology makes no sense whatsoever. British motorists, manufacturers and jobs are being sacrificed on the altar of a target that independent analysis proves delivers vanishingly small climate returns at enormous economic cost. Drivers deserve better than this. Scrap the 2030 ban now – before the damage becomes irreversible. The war on the motorist remains at the heart of Labour's ignorance of how to make the economy grow."
Government defends transition to zero-emission vehicles
The Government previously said: "The need to transition away from a reliance on fossil fuels has never been clearer, and the transition to zero emission vehicles will play a critical role in quickly reducing carbon emissions and improving our energy security. It is not just an environmental necessity but an opportunity for the UK to lead in cutting edge technologies, representing a significant industrial opportunity for the UK. This shift promises cleaner air and quieter streets, enhancing the quality of life in our communities. British people and businesses are already embracing electric vehicles because they are cheaper to run, great to drive and simpler to maintain."
