If we delay the UK’s drive for electric vehicles, our rivals will overtake us

Jonathan Reynolds

London: The push to electric vehicles is not about a culture war. It is a simple choice. Do we set UK industry up to take advantage of the changes that are coming? Or do we sit it out, allowing our competitors to lap us while we decide whether to change our tyres or not?

The previous government, including the current leader of the opposition, might have been content to play politics with people’s jobs by delaying the deadline for ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars. But this government is not.

Before that, we had been making good progress on the 2030 deadline and the electric vehicle mandate was broadly supported by industry. More than two-thirds of car manufacturers in the UK had already committed to fully transitioning to electric vehicles by 2030 and investments had started to pour in to build electric vehicles here at home.

But the decision to delay the transition came at a huge cost for companies that were already preparing to meet the 2030 deadline and delivered a huge blow to our credibility, risking investment, jobs and growth.

This government is clear-eyed about the fact that if we want to keep the auto industry alive in the UK, then we must provide investors with certainty and confidence, instead of shifting the goalposts.

Growing up in Sunderland, home of the Nissan factory, I know first-hand how important the automotive industry is to local communities, to deliver growth and to create jobs and wealth. The UK’s auto industry employs more than 150,000 people and its continued success has a big role to play in our mission to grow the economy.

If we get this transition right and support the growth of the electric vehicle market in the UK, then we have a huge opportunity to tap into a multibillion-pound industry that can create high-paid jobs for decades to come.

That’s why we made a cast-iron commitment in the manifesto to restore the original 2030 date to transition to electric vehicles and phase out the sales of new cars with internal combustion engines.

But we want to work with industry and make sure its vioices are heard on how we get there. That’s why we’re fast-tracking a consultation that will look at how the government can support manufacturers, investors and the wider industry to reach the target. To be clear, this consultation is about how, not if we reach this ambition.

The benefit of this transition extends to working families too. EVs are becoming more affordable and practical, their prices are starting to come down, they’re cheaper to run and maintain, the ranges are improving, charging infrastructure is expanding rapidly and demand in the UK is growing.

And of course, with road transport being responsible for up to 30% of air pollution, transitioning to electric vehicles means cleaner, healthier air for our children and future generations.

Delaying the transition only makes it harder and more expensive for industry and families in the long run. That’s why we want to do everything possible to make sure the next generation of zero-emission vehicles are designed and built right here in Britain, are affordable and accessible for working people and to boost the take-up of electric vehicles.

It’s why, at the budget, the chancellor announced more than £2bn for zero-emission vehicle manufacturing. This funding will support the latest research and development into these technologies, accelerating their commercial scale up and unlocking capital investment.

On the demand side, we know a concern for people around electric vehicle take-up is the availability of charging points. So we’re investing more than £200m into an accelerated charging point rollout, building on the 71,000 public charging points already available.

We’re taking proactive steps to drive stability in the sector today but we’re also putting a long-term plan in place to ensure UK motor manufacturing can grow and thrive.

With the government squarely behind manufacturers, we’re already seeing them embracing our transition to zero-emission vehicles and a greener economy. Jaguar Land Rover is moving to a 100% fully electric vehicle lineup while investing billions into the UK economy over the next five years. At the same time, we’re seeing Toyota investing substantially to ensure that its UK manufacturing operations are 100% carbon neutral by 2030.

When this government says that decarbonisation must not mean deindustrialisation, we mean it. There is no route to net zero without backing British industries and workers.

With recent job cuts announced by Ford across Europe and the proposed closure of Vauxhall’s Luton plant by Stellantis, we are in no doubt at all about the global challenges the industry is facing and the need for us to play our part to support it.

That’s exactly why I’ve been getting round the table with industry leaders to hear directly from them on how best to deliver this transition, and my message has always been loud and clear: this government is listening and we want to work closely with you to deliver our plans.

The bottom line is: we can either sprint ahead and harness the clean energy transition to deliver growth, create new jobs and a greener future, or allow ourselves to fall behind. This government will not make the same mistakes of the past and let that happen.