10:32 am, September 19, 2023
Transport secretary Mark Harper says that the government is planning to hold firm on its pledge to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, despite mounting pressure.
The minister told the SMMT Electric 2023 conference in Westminster that the government was committed to getting the transition to EVs right.
He added that meeting the 2050 net zero deadline, through decarbonising cars and vans, is one of the ‘biggest challenges’ currently facing the country.
His comments come following a backlash of Conservative MPs, including former PM Liz Truss, who are calling for the 2030 date to be extended.
Yesterday (Sep 18), we reported that a the majority of used car dealers no not see the ban going ahead as planned.
However, Harper told the SMMT that the government remains committed to its eco-targets.
He said: ‘Getting the transition to EVs right really matters.
‘It matters because our climate goals now depend on decarbonising transport.
‘We have made a lot of progress in this country with decarbonising our electricity generation system, whereas transport is now the source of 20 per cent of our total greenhouse gas emissions.’
He added: ‘Cleaning up cars and vans represents the biggest challenge and greatest opportunity to reach net zero by 2050.
‘And with more countries following the UK’s lead, we cannot miss out on the automotive jobs, investment and technology that we really want to make sure comes to the United Kingdom.
‘It is not about forcing people out of their cars, which is what some people engaged in this debate on the other side of politics want to achieve.
‘This government wants to back motorists to travel how they want, where they want and when they want to, and our job is to make sure they can do all of those things in a way that is consistent with our environmental goals.’
Harper was speaking following comments by Rishi Sunak, who said over the weekend that there would not be any delays in the 2030 ban.
