Cabinet Minister Michael Gove has emphasised that the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel car sales remains a non-negotiable target.
The statement comes in response to reported doubts raised by Conservative MPs.
During an interview on Times Radio, when asked about the immovability of the deadline, Housing Secretary Michael Gove responded with a “yes.”
Mr Gove further stated during BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the government is fully dedicated to upholding the policy, ensuring that no new petrol and diesel cars will be sold by 2030.
A few days ago, the Levelling Up and Housing Secretary, in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, cautioned against treating environmental policies as dogmatic crusades and called for a more relaxed approach to certain net zero measures.
Lauren Pamma, Director of Transport Programmes at the Green Finance Institute, has urged the government to maintain the 2030 ban on new ICE vehicle sales.
Ms Pamma said: “This policy has given private investors certainty about future demand and therefore, been key to investor confidence – as demonstrated by investments in electric vehicle (EV) battery production and charging infrastructure. Backtracking now would create confusion for the market and send concerning signals on the government’s priorities.
“Rather than reconsider the ban, there are different levers that can be pulled to make the EV transition more cost effective – including supporting the used EV market to bring costs down for consumers and cutting the rate of VAT on public charging to match that of home charging.”
Reacting to Michael Gove’s comments, Greenpeace UK’s Director of Policy, Doug Parr, said: “Mr Gove is right to reaffirm the government’s commitment to ending the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030 – and Sunak should now do the same, whilst making the transition as easy as possible for people with extensive charging infrastructure and the promised mandate on manufacturers.
“But allowing more oil and gas drilling, delaying the phase-out of gas boilers and giving landlords longer to insulate the homes of renters will only keep bills high and continue to fan the flames of climate change.”
