Postponement of fuel car sales ban
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that new cars with fuel engines will be allowed to be sold in the UK for longer. According to Sunak, the transition to a more electric fleet can easily be left in the hands of the people.
It was already in the air and on Wednesday Prime Minister Sunak announced it in a speech at 10 Downing Street: new cars with fuel engines will be allowed to be sold in the United Kingdom until 2035. Three years ago, his predecessor Boris Johnson announced that fuel cars would be over by 2030. “We are going to ease the transition to electric cars. You can still buy petrol and diesel cars until 2035 and even after that you can still sell and buy them second-hand,” the Prime Minister said.
A significant change of course, which Sunak will undoubtedly face criticism from, especially from Labour. Car manufacturers are also already reporting their disappointment. However, according to Sunak, it is not as drastic as it may seem. According to him, by 2030 an overwhelming majority of new cars sold in the UK will be electric. Sunak believes it is important that the market can develop itself for longer. “For the time being, as a consumer you will have to be able to make a choice and not under duress from the government,” the Prime Minister, who took office last year, addressed the people in his speech.
The policy change is part of a larger reduction in previously set climate goals, which Sunak announced on Wednesday. Sunak believes it is time for a “more pragmatic, proportionate and realistic approach to achieving carbon neutrality, reducing the burden on people”. The Secretary of State, Suella Braverman, commented Sky News admitted: “We’re not going to save the planet by bankrupting the British people.”
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl