Miliband Isolated as EU Prepares to Reverse Petrol Car Ban

Ed Miliband has been left isolated over his Net Zero policies after the European Union dropped “indefinitely” a flagship pledge to ban sales of new petrol cars. The Telegraph has more.

Brussels was said to be preparing for a major climbdown on vehicle emissions rules amid a revolt by member states including Germany and Italy.

Manfred Weber, head of the European Parliament’s biggest grouping of MEPs, said a ban on petrol, diesel and hybrid cars scheduled for 2035 was now off the table indefinitely.

The dramatic reversal across the Channel will be seen as a fresh blow to Mr Miliband, the Energy Secretary, and Labour’s Net Zero policies that critics say risk damaging industry and driving up costs for households.

Ministers are now facing calls from the car industry to revisit Britain’s own plan to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 and hybrids from 2035.

Before these deadlines, car makers must also hit electric car sales targets under the so-called zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate.

On Thursday night, the Government insisted it remained committed to the policies. A review has been pencilled in for 2027.

But Claire Coutinho, the Conservative Shadow Energy Secretary, said: “Rather than banning, taxing and forcing people into electric cars, the Government should get out of the way and back consumer choice.

“That’s why we have to repeal the Net Zero legislation, cut people’s electricity bills by 20% with our Cheap Power Plan and allow people to use that cheap electricity to buy the products they want to, when they want to.

“Forcing people to buy expensive technologies before they’re ready simply for the sake of meeting a Net Zero target just makes people poorer.”

Richard Tice, of Reform UK, said: “We should stop the internal combustion engine ban as part of scrapping Net Zero.

“This is the only way to save the UK automotive industry.”

A revised ZEV mandate that relaxed some of the requirements was unveiled by Sir Keir Starmer and Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, in April following intense lobbying by the automotive industry.

Mr Miliband has been a vocal supporter of the EV rollout, arguing that it will create a “global opportunity” for domestic manufacturers, slash Britain’s carbon emissions and clean up the air in cities.

The EU’s ban would have required a 100% fall in passenger vehicle carbon emissions by 2035 – effectively banning new petrol and diesel cars from sale, including hybrids.

However, Mr Weber, of the European Parliament, told German newspaper Bild that the requirement would now be reduced to a 90% reduction and that a total ban had also been taken off the table.

He said the decision followed talks between him and Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission.

Still a 90% reduction, then – some way to go before they give it up properly.

Worth reading in full.