Rishi Sunak has been put under more pressure to abandon his 2030 petrol and diesel car ban proposal with Liz Truss becoming the latest to turn against the scheme.
The former Prime Minister feels the Government should be “delaying” net-zero commitments including the sales ban on new combustion vehicles.
It’s part of her plan to get the economy going and help struggling families with just a year to go until the next General Election.
Truss is set to outline her plans at the Institute for Government think-tank and is the latest leading member of the party to call for the petrol and diesel plan to be axed.
According to the Daily Mail, Truss will say: “We should – as many other Western countries are already doing – delay implementing net-zero commitments such as the ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030.
“Other environmental regulations which are hiking the cost of living, like enforcing the replacement of gas and oil boilers, should also be abandoned.”
At the end of July, more than 40 Tory parliamentarians wrote a letter to Mr Sunak urging him to delay the EV transition. The group have called for the ban to a delayed back to 2035 in line with the European Union’s pledges.
It read: “The time is right for a re-think. It would be easy to kick the can down the road, but car manufacturers and the public urgently need certainty about the Government’s approach, which has yet to be formalised in legislation.
“We urge you to review this policy to make sure car ownership remains affordable and manufacturers are protected.”
Former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and ex-Leader of the House Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg were among the signatories.
However, Mr Sunak is not expected to heed the advice with Downing Street expected to oppress head with the deadline.
The new Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which forces manufacturers to produce a certain number of eclectic cars, is also expected to come into effect.
Mr Sunak has recently defended the timeline and reassured families that no one would be hit in the pocket by the proposals.
When used on the 2030 ban, he told BBC Radio Scotland: “That’s been the Government’s policy for a long time. It remains the Government’s policy.
“But what I have said, more generally, on my approach is that we will transition to net zero, I’m committed to it, but we will do it in a proportionate and pragmatic way that doesn’t necessarily add burden or cost to families’ bills, particularly at a time when inflation is higher than any of us would have liked.”