Kemi Badenoch says the Conservatives will scrap the ban on petrol and diesel vehicles due to come into force in the UK if they win the next election.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, the Conservative Party leader said the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate (ZEV) was a “well-meaning but ultimately destructive piece of legislation”.
From 2030, all new cars will have to be electric or hybrid as part of government efforts to meet a legally binding aim of achieving “net zero” by 2050.
The Conservative leader’s comments come after her meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has lobbied the EU to water down its own plans for a ban.
Net zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere.
Six EU countries, including Italy, have recently called on other member states to rethink plans to phase out new petrol and diesel cars by 2035, saying it could hurt industrial competitiveness.
Badenoch suggested the EU had signalled it would drop a full ban, adding: “The reality is that the EU’s change of heart on EVs will leave Labour even more isolated, and by pressing ahead alone, we are placing our domestic industry at a disadvantage while giving others the opportunity to dominate global supply chains.”
She said the only “winners in this economic self-harm are China”.
The Conservative leader added that her government would still move towards a “transition to cleaner transport” but one driven by “affordability, practicality and technological progress” rather than “unrealistic mandates that weaken domestic manufacturing and empower foreign competitors”.
Speaking to broadcasters on Monday, Badenoch said “car makers have already stopped investing in the UK, many people are taking their production elsewhere”.
Instead, the market should be allowed to decide when petrol and diesel cars are phased out, she said.
“People want to do their best for the environment but they have to be able to do it in a that is sustainable in a way that they can afford – we need a common sense approach,” Badenoch said.
She said scrapping the mandate would give “space” to rebuild the UK’s car industry.
UK car firms were said to have been split over the 2030 deadline, with some calling for more support to be able to meet it.
In its latest Budget, the government announced an extra £1.3 billion investment into the UK’s Electric Car Grant scheme to encourage drivers to make the switch to EVs.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves also announced that drivers of battery electric cars, which includes plug-in hybrids, will be charged 3p per mile for the Electric Vehicle Excise Duty from April 2028, with some arguing the move could make electric cars less appealing.
The ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars was originally introduced in 2020 by then Prime Minister, Conservative Boris Johnson – Badenoch, a cabinet member at the time, opposed the plans.
It was later pushed back to 2035 by Rishi Sunak, with Labour pledging to bring it forward in its 2024 election manifesto.
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said the government remained “committed to phasing out all new non-zero emission car and van sales”.
They said: “More drivers than ever are choosing electric.”
The next UK general election must be held by 15 August 2029, but the prime minister can opt to call an election at any point before this.
