The United Kingdom government says no decision has yet been made about plans to reduce the country's target for the use of electric vehicles, or EVs, amid widespread reports it could be changing its goals.
Current rules state that by 2030, 80 percent of new cars sold in the UK must be electric, and that by 2035 all new cars must be zero emission, but motor industry lobby groups have expressed concern about the speed of the transition, a feeling that is also thought to be shared by some members of Prime Minister Andy Burnham's Cabinet.
Burnham has removed himself from the discussion process because of his wife's working links to the EV industry, and a government source told the BBC the issue would be looked at in a "pragmatic and balanced" way.
The proposal to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles was first introduced by Conservative Party prime minister Boris Johnson in 2020, before another Conservative Party leader, Rishi Sunak, pushed the target date back to 2035, with the Labour Party's Burnham having set up a review of sales targets this summer, shortly after he became prime minister.
The Conservative Party has said it will scrap the ban if it wins the next election, with leader Kemi Badenoch describing it as a "well-meaning, but ultimately destructive piece of legislation".
The story, which was broken by The Guardian newspaper, comes in the same week as the United Nations COP31 summit in Turkiye, and follows a decision last year by the European Union to water down its rules outlawing the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles, which came after heavy lobbying by car makers.
Its timing in particular drew a furious response from Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party.
"This week, leaders meet for the UN climate summit. The context? A summer of heat deaths. Scientists saying 2026 will be the hottest year ever. Our government's contribution? To bend over backwards to the car industry, and scrap plans for rapid electrification," he said.
In October, the government gave approval for drilling in the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea, off the east coast of Scotland, and Burnham, who has made bringing down the cost of living a priority, has said he will be "pragmatic" about energy resources in UK waters, with a decision expected soon about an oil field at Rosebank, off the northwest coast of Scotland.
"There is a resource there. When people are struggling — you can't ignore that," he said.
Polanski said the move and the possible change in EV policy were part of a "shocking record of backsliding and bad decisions on climate issues" by the government.
"At a time when we desperately need leadership, they bend to the will of polluters by slashing key rules and pushing ahead with fossil fuel extraction," he said.
