Britain will extend sales of cars with internal combustion engines for another five years, until 2035, and abandon other measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the British prime minister announced.
Rishi Sunak is thus changing the deadline set by his predecessor Boris Johnson just three years ago, who wanted to ban the sale of new vehicles that run exclusively on diesel or petrol in the country from 2030.
The head of government defended this “new approach” with the need to “be honest with the population about the difficult choices and sacrifices that come with it”.
“It is not fair for Westminster to impose such high costs on workers, especially those who are already struggling to make ends meet, and interfering so heavily with people’s lifestyles,” he argued.
Sunak also revealed that the government will no longer tax air travel or beef, or force Britons to recycle more.
Yet Sunak is sticking to his pledge to reduce Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, a target included in legislation in 2019.
The government boasts that Britain is leading the way in cutting carbon emissions, down 46% on 1990 levels, thanks largely to the near-complete elimination of coal from electricity production.
The executive had committed to reducing emissions by 68% below 1990 levels by 2030.
Automakers that have invested heavily in the transition to electric vehicles have expressed frustration at the government’s change in plans.
Association of Motor Manufacturers and Traders chairman Mike Hawes said “consumers must want to make the change, which requires a clear and coherent message from the government, attractive incentives and a charging infrastructure that conveys confidence, not fear.” , but that “confusion and uncertainty will only make them retreat.”
The dilution of environmental promises is seen as a maneuver to attract voters in the face of the crisis of rising living costs in the run-up to parliamentary elections, scheduled for 2024.
Opinion polls show the center-right party, which has been in power since 2010, 20 points behind Labor.
The Conservatives’ narrow victory in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip parliamentary by-elections in July prompted some party members to call on the leader to reconsider his climate commitments.
The Labor Party itself admitted that the introduction of the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London by ‘Labour’ mayor Sadiq Khan influenced its defeat by around 500 votes.
The policy change expected by the BBC drew criticism from political opponents, environmental groups, much of British industry and members of the Conservative Party.
“We cannot afford to falter now or lose our ambition for this country,” Boris Johnson said.
Alok Sharma, chair of the COP26 international climate conference in Glasgow, warned that it would be “incredibly damaging (…) if the political consensus we have forged in our country on the environment and climate action collapses”.
“And frankly, I don’t believe it will help any political party that wants to go down this path electorally,” he told the BBC.
On the contrary, other conservatives believe that abolishing environmental policies could win votes and prevent the defeat of the tories in the legislature.
“We are not going to save the planet by bankrupting the British people,” Home Secretary Suella Braverman stressed.
Source: DN
