12:14 pm, March 11, 2026
Reform UK has announced plans to scrap the Electric Car Grant and ban on new petrol and diesel cars, if they come to power in the next election.
The measures were confirmed yesterday (Mar 10) by the party’s Treasury Spokesperson, Robert Jenrick, as part of wider plans to ditch swathes of eco-targets.
Jenrick, a former Conservative minister, was a member of the Cabinet when the 2030 target was first announced by Boris Johnson six years ago, but he now appears to have changed his views.
Standing alongside new boss Nigel Farage, he told journalists: ‘We are going to scrap the grant that goes for new electric vehicles.
‘We are not going to ban people from petrol and diesel cars – you can buy whatever car you want under a Reform government.
‘We are going to save billions of pounds by doing that and all of that money is going to help us manage the public finances more responsibly, bring down people’s bills and cut their taxes.’
The comments came as part of a petrol station stunt to highlight Reform’s pledge to reverse the Government’s planned fuel duty hike by scrapping ‘lunatic’ green levies.
Farage announced the policy at a forecourt in Derbyshire where the price board was covered in the party’s turquoise branding with the lettering ‘Reform Refuel’ and ’25p off with Farage’, putting a litre of diesel at £1.43 and a litre of unleaded at £1.21.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has resisted calls to cancel the planned 5p increase in fuel duty in response to the oil price spike caused by the Iran conflict.
Speaking at Newhaven services on Tuesday, Farage said: ‘The way we sneakily do tax in this country means there’s about 6p going on a litre of petrol staged over the course of the next few months.
‘This is just about the last time this should happen. The cost of living is really impacting. How are we going to pay for not increasing taxes?
‘Well, we’re going to get rid of lunatic green levies. In particular, I’m thinking about heat pump subsidies.’
Jenrick also claims that a Reform UK government would save £13bn a year by cutting spending on net zero initiatives.
He added: ‘We’re announcing £13bn of savings from Ed Miliband’s department, scrapping a lot of the net zero madness that is impoverishing people, de-industrialising our country right now.’
In response to the comments, the Labour Party accused Reform of trying to block plans which are ‘saving money for motorists’.
A Labour spokesman said: ‘Reform and the Conservatives have repeatedly tried to block Labour’s budgets which have frozen fuel duty, which is saving money for motorists at the pump.
‘This Labour Government is focused on easing the cost of living for families.’
Meanwhile, Robert Palmer, deputy director of campaign group Uplift, accused Farage of being a ‘cheerleader for an oil and gas industry that is making obscene profits at our expense’.
