Labour reimposing ban on new petrols and diesels

author: FutureCar Staff    

Labour has announced that if it wins the next general election, it will reimpose the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. Shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds stated that the party would reinstate the goal within months of winning to provide certainty for the car industry. Additionally, councils would be given binding targets to install electric vehicle (EV) charging points to strengthen the infrastructure.

Reynolds criticized the government's decision to delay the introduction of the ban by five years while setting high quotas for zero-emission car sales through the ZEV mandate. He argued that this uncertainty was leaving carmakers in limbo and undermining international investment. Reynolds emphasized that the industry itself, including the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) and major vehicle producers in the UK, supports the 2030 ban.

Reynolds will present these plans at the Labour party conference in Liverpool. Reintroducing the 2030 ban is just one component of the party's industrial strategy. Prime Minister Boris Johnson previously claimed that delaying the ban would save households money, but Reynolds argued that EVs have cheaper lifetime costs compared to petrol cars. Labour also plans to provide co-funding of approximately £1.5bn for new UK gigafactories and aims to reduce planning approval times for infrastructure projects such as gigafactories from years to months.

Furthermore, planning rules would be relaxed to help local and regional authorities meet binding targets for the installation of new charging points. Reynolds also mentioned that the £950m 'rapid charging fund,' which was announced in 2020 but not yet implemented, would be released and redirected. The car industry strongly criticized the delay to the 2030 ban when it was announced last month.

FutureCar Staff