UK is so far behind targets, will Labour really be able to catch up?

When Rishi Sunak announced that his government would delay banning the production of petrol and diesel cars, the response from Ford was robust. “Our business needs three things from the UK government: ambition, commitment and consistency,” said Lisa Brankin, chair of Ford UK. “A relaxation of 2030 would undermine all three.”

The Labour Party were listening, and have now vowed to re-instate the 2030 ban, with shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds declaring “an endless stop-start of government policy has left the British automotive industry stalled” and that it’s clear vehicle producers want the original timetable to stand, as their business strategies have been based on it.

In support of this stance, Labour are planning to impose new binding targets on councils to roll out electric vehicle (EV) charging points, loosen planning restrictions to help make this happen, and “rewire Britain” by building a “clean energy grid”. Reynolds told the Financial Times the plans would be paid for by redirecting existing funding, including a £950 million “rapid charging fund”.

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Councils will doubtless be very keen to see the fine details and costings of this, given Sunak has said the UK isn’t ready to make the switch. The PM claimed the cost of EVs remained too high for the Government to force buyers of new cars into them in 2030, but tellingly said he expected the vast majority of new cars sold by that point to be EVs because, among other factors, “the charging infrastructure is growing”. By acknowledging this as a driver of change, he confessed that his own government had failed to move at the necessary speed to put the required charging points in place.

In January it was reported that EV charging infrastructure was at crisis point, with only 800 charging points being installed each month. Daily Mail off-shoot This Is Money calculated that 3130 a month were required if the target of 300,000 by 2030 was to be met. Over the following six months there was some improvement, but only to an average of 1160 installations per month.

Is it realistic for Labour to declare they can make up for lost time? Time will tell.

The extreme weather of the past few days highlights a stark contradiction at the heart of green transport policy. Climate change is likely to increase the frequency and intensity of flooding, reminding us of the urgent need to reduce emissions, but these floods also bring railways to a standstill, increasing the need for road transport that contributes to the very emissions that contribute to climate change. As we saw at the weekend, many roads became impassable too – or passable only for folk driving 4x4s.

It’s easy for urban Greens to rail against drivers as pampered and selfish, and to imagine that if everyone ditched their vehicles public transport would drastically improve and fares would fall, but when a weather warning is issued not everyone has the option of getting on a bike instead of a train, let along quickly blowing up an inflatable kayak when the buses are off too. The majority of rural Scots need their cars, and will not be willing to risk switching to electric until more charging points are in place.

“We are a nation of drivers” Sunak declared ahead of his party’s recent conference, announcing a raft of measures to “improve people’s experience driving” and to “prevent Labour politicians from punishing people for simply living their lives”.

A little dramatic, perhaps. Can being required to drive at 20mph in a built-up area really be considered a punishment? The PM has a cheek to say his government will be “clamping down on rip-off fines”, given he was fined mere months ago for failing to wear a seatbelt.

Once again, in trying to appeal to his Conservative base Sunak unwittingly reveals the UK’s shortcomings. Referring to it as a “nation (sic) of drivers” is a tacit admission that public transport is inadequate, unreliable and too expensive. He surely doesn’t imagine that motorways become jammed at rush hour because the British just love spending time behind the wheel. Motorists are best served by a dual-pronged approach that makes driving safer and more efficient but also less necessary. Voters being wedded to their cars is not something to be celebrated.

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Sunak’s goalpost-shifting did not just anger car manufacturers – it negatively affected EV owners too.

People who have already made the laudable decision to invest in greener personal transport were promised convenience and affordability, only to find free charging stations disappearing from supermarkets after electricity prices soared. Then they were told by the PM that EV infrastructure could wait a few more years.

A raw deal indeed for those trying to do the right thing for the planet, who will be hoping Labour’s ambitious pledges are not another false dawn.