The Conservative Party has announced plans to axe the 2030 ZEV Mandate, the legislation that the political party itself introduced in 2024, if they win the next General Election.
Originally proposed as part of former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution – a plan to boost the economy by £12bn and create 250,000 jobs – the mandate became law in January 2024 after consultation with industry and the wider public.
But as business secretary in the previous Conservative administration, current Tory leader Kemi Badenoch put pressure on the then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in August 2023 to water down the ZEV Mandate, which subsequently happened with a shift back to 2035. When the plan was originally announced in 2020, Badenoch also opposed the plan.
She has now gone a step further, stating that a potential Conservative administration would scrap the Mandate entirely, describing its own former policy as creating “costly regulatory obligations” and red tape. A press release by the Conservative Party mentions the relaxation of the Mandate in 2023, although it makes no reference to introducing the policy.
Despite stating a desire to scrap the Mandate and therefore reduce investment in electric vehicles, the press release highlights Badenoch’s work as business secretary on investment into EVs, including BMW’s commitment to EV Minis in Oxfordshire and TATA’s £4bn investment into a Somerset gigafactory.
Labour brought the ZEV Mandate back forward again to 2030 – a manifesto commitment at the General Election in 2024, and the original date set by the Conservatives.
The Conservative Party has already called for the repeal of the Climate Change Act earlier this year, having originally supported it in 2008. At that time, it even called for certain elements of it to be strengthened under the-then leader of the party, David Cameron, such as ensuring annual targets on carbon reduction rather than five yearly targets.
But it is now calling for the bill to be replaced with what it describes as “common sense” policies, which, despite OBR projections highlighting that a move away from fossil fuels will cause the economy to grow, the Conservative’s describe as “self-imposed economic suicide”.
The value of the net-zero economy to the UK is predicted to be £1 trillion by 2030. According to the Climate Change Committee, households will save around £1,400 a year as a result of decarbonising energy, with a risk of 8% GDP if the country doesn’t work towards net zero targets.
Kemi Badenoch MP, Leader of the Conservative Party, said:
“The Conservatives will ensure that we protect the environment, but we will do so without forcing families to bear the brunt of the costs, and forcing car makers to meet deadlines that don’t reflect consumer demand.
“By scrapping the ZEV mandate and the ban on petrol cars we are putting fairness and common sense back into the system and saving money for taxpayers. Britain succeeds when we back business and support innovation – that’s our plan for a stronger economy.”
Richard Holden MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, said:
“Britain produces fantastic cars. But Labour’s ideological decision to bring forward the mandate banning new petrol and diesels is hitting manufacturers at the worst possible moment.
“Costs are up, demand is down, and yet Labour is still accelerating towards targets that bear no relation to what people are choosing to buy. Labour’s policy slams the brakes on British industry while leaving the path open for foreign firms to overtake them without facing the same rules or penalties.
“Scrapping the mandate and the billions in associated taxpayer subsidies will put Britain in pole position to respond to the market at a pace consumers are willing to move at.”
Commenting on the Conservative proposals, Edmund King OBE, AA president, said:
“The AA’s Motoring Manifesto* stated that climate change is a critical global challenge in which transport plays a vital part. Our members recognise the need to reduce emissions and improve air quality but are uncertain about how far and how fast they can change without the right support in place.
“So, it’s vital that information campaigns and incentives are put in place to facilitate this switch. The AA supported the original zero emission new car sales deadline of 2030 as ‘challenging but ambitious’. Reintroducing the 2030 deadline enabled us to maintain momentum on the net zero transition and improve our chances of delivering the UK’s net zero ambition. But drivers need to be supported with the right incentives, and reassured that we’ve made significant progress on infrastructure, to make the shift possible.
“Consumers and industry need certainty and long-term targets and incentives to help transform to a zero-emission future. Climate change is a real threat, so it is right that the targets are ‘challenging and ambitious’ and any further diluting of targets is likely to backfire.”
Image from Shutterstock
