UK green targets—which pose a major threat to growth and prosperity—are being revised amid turbulent global trade. Labour’s so-called electric vehicle (EV) mandate, which aimed to remove most fossil-fuel powered vehicles from sale by 2030, will be softened to help elite British carmakers.
On Monday April 7th, Keir Starmer is set to announce concessions where niche car manufacturers, such as Aston Martin and McLaren, will no longer be tied to the 2030 deadline. The broader date of the sales ban, which will include diesel vans, will be pushed back to 2035. All types of hybrid car will also be available until 2035. The UK used-car market now has a stay of execution and firms will be given more flexibility to manage the fines they face should they fail to sell a fixed proportion of EVs annually.
While the previous Tory government attempted to cling on to the 2030 target, amid increasing hostility from backbench MPs and the wider public, cold hard reality could be forcing Labour to change direction.
