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Kemi Badenoch has announced that if the Conservatives win the next UK general election, they will repeal the planned ban on petrol and diesel vehicles. This ban, which is set to take effect from 2030, currently requires all new cars sold in the UK to be electric or hybrid. Badenoch criticized the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate (ZEV), describing it as a “well-meaning but ultimately destructive piece of legislation” in her column for the Sunday Telegraph.
The 2030 mandate forms part of the UK government’s legally binding target to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The term “net zero” refers to balancing the quantity of greenhouse gases produced with the amount removed from the atmosphere. Badenoch’s remarks followed a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has campaigned within the European Union to relax similar plans aimed at banning petrol and diesel cars.
Recently, six EU countries, including Italy, have urged fellow member states to reconsider phasing out petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035, citing potential risks to industrial competitiveness. Badenoch suggested that the EU appeared ready to abandon a full ban, warning that if the UK proceeds with the ZEV mandate alone, it would isolate itself politically and place the domestic automotive industry at a disadvantage in the global market. She remarked, “The only winners in this economic self-harm are China.”
While pledging to support a move toward cleaner transportation, Badenoch emphasized that any transition should prioritize “affordability, practicality and technological progress” rather than enforce “unrealistic mandates that weaken domestic manufacturing and empower foreign competitors.” She argued that removing the current mandate would create opportunities to revitalize the UK’s car manufacturing sector. This position comes amid divisions within UK car companies over the 2030 deadline, with some calling for increased support to meet the target. The government has recently allocated an additional £1.3 billion to the Electric Car Grant scheme to promote the adoption of electric vehicles.
In the 2024 Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that from April 2028 battery electric vehicles, including plug-in hybrids, will be subject to a 3p per mile charge under the Electric Vehicle Excise Duty. Some have expressed concern that this new tax could reduce the attractiveness of electric cars. The original ban on petrol and diesel car sales was introduced in 2020 by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, despite Badenoch’s opposition at the time as a member of his cabinet. The deadline was later extended to 2035 by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, while the Labour Party has vowed to advance the ban in its 2024 election manifesto.
A spokesperson from the Department for Transport stated that the government remains committed to ending sales of non-zero emission cars and vans, highlighting the increasing number of drivers opting for electric vehicles. The next UK general election must be held by 15 August 2029, though the prime minister may call it sooner
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