The UK could move to ban petrol and diesel cars five years earlier under the Labour Government unless they look to urgently reconsider.
Experts have warned that if the earlier ban date of 2030 comes into force, the UK will not be fully ready to adopt electric vehicles on a widespread level.
Labour pledged in its election manifesto to bring back the 2030 deadline for the UK to ban all new sales of petrol and diesel cars.
This came after previous Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the delay to 2035 in September last year after feedback from the industry.
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The UK previously promised to ban new petrol and diesel cars by 2035 under the Conservatives
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He explained: “Small businesses are worried about the practicalities. And we’ve got further to go to get that charging infrastructure truly nationwide.
“We need to strengthen our own auto industry, so we aren’t reliant on heavily subsidised, carbon-intensive imports, from countries like China.”
Sunak added that it would give the UK more time to prepare for the transition to EVs, with drivers being able to get their hands on a new ICE vehicle until 2035, with no ban on second-hand vehicles.
ManMohan Sodhi, professor of operations and supply chain management at Bayes Business School, explained that there may be a knock-on effect from the US elections.
He said: “If Donald Trump is elected US President and does away with any bans as he has promised, the UK Government will follow suit, and it would be harder to do that with a 2030 ban in place than a 2035 one.
“The UK Government should leave the petrol and diesel ban for 2035 and not bring it up to 2030.”
Sodhi added that the UK was not ready in terms of its technology to compete with China which is currently offering the cheapest EVs on the market.
Instead, he insisted that it’s “better to wait and watch” to see what developments happen in the EV market before rushing to speed up production.
Labour promised to reinstate the original 2030 mandate with its manifesto detailing: “The climate and nature crisis is the greatest long-term global challenge that we face.
“The clean energy transition represents a huge opportunity to generate growth, tackle the cost-of-living crisis and make Britain energy independent once again. That is why clean energy by 2030 is Labour’s second mission.”
Reform UK however, went in the opposite direction and pledged to scrap the ban on petrol and diesel cars altogether.
Party leader Nigel Farage said Reform UK stated he would end the war on motorists and all unfair anti-driver schemes in place. He also pledged to remove the Ulez zones across London.
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Labour has yet to announce anything relating to the 2035 car ban
PA
The 2035 mandate would require all new car sales to be electric by the deadline with 80 per cent by 2030 and at least 22 per cent by this year.
