U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to unveil a green 10-point plan on Wednesday, as he weighs controversial proposals to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars within a decade. The much anticipated policy document has already been delayed at least twice and could be moved again. It is currently scheduled for Nov. 18, people familiar with the matter said. The government is considering bringing forward the current 2040 prohibition on the sale of gas and diesel cars to 2035, or earlier. The BBC and the Financial Times on Saturday reported that the ban will come into effect in 2030, with hybrid cars barred from 2035. However, three senior government officials said no decision had been taken yet.
Johnson promised a self-styled green industrial revolution to meet a law calling for net-zero emissions by 2050, and this week set a target to create 2 million green jobs by 2030. He is seeking to balance car industry concerns with climate goals at a time when the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic threatens to weigh on long-term growth.
Research by Greenpeace and Green Alliance shows that only a 2030 ban, which also covers plug-in hybrids, would put the U.K. on track to meeting its target of reaching net-zero by the middle of the century.
Driving Down Pollution
Only a 2030 ban on internal combustion engines and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles would meet the target
Sources: Greenpeace and Green Alliance
The car industry has warned that a 2030 ban “could have a devastating impact on the U.K. automotive industry” at a time when it’s already dealing with uncertainty caused by Brexit and the pandemic. Britain’s recovery is trailing behind the world’s major industrialized nations and the economy was still almost 10% smaller than before the pandemic, in the three months through September, according to data released Thursday,