Brits want net zero ban on new petrol and diesel cars dropped – Poll

Most Britons think that the Government’s planned net zero ban on new petrol and diesel cars should be cancelled or delayed, a poll has suggested. At least 54 percent of the public believe the 2030 deadline for banning the sale of fossil fuel-powered vehicles should be pushed back or that there should not be a ban at all.

But environmentalists said the ban is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve local air quality.

Craig MacKinlay MP, chairman of the Fair Fuel for UK Motorists and UK Hauliers All-party parliamentary groups said: “It is time to end the war on the motorist

“A whole host of punitive measures, including ULEZ and congestion charges, risk driving poorer motorists off the roads.

“It is bizarre that the government insists on delivering something that is clearly against the wishes of the British public.”

The poll, by Savanta ComRes for the Alliance of British Drivers (ABD), found 60 percent of Tory voters are in favour of a cancellation or delay, compared to 48 percent of Labour supporters and 53 percent of Liberal Democrats.

Half the country believes the amount they pay through a combination of vehicle tax, fuel tax, and congestion and emissions charges is too high.

Brian Gregory, chairman of the ABD, said: “It is clear that there is support for a delay to the Government’s net zero plans for motor vehicles. Drivers do not want to have their options restricted and nor do they believe that a ban should be imposed as early as 2030.

“Moreover, it is clear that the Chancellor needs to reconsider the punitive tax measures levied on motorists.”

Electric vehicles are around three times cheaper to run than their petrol equivalents, energy analysts suggested.

Transport is now the highest emitting sector of the UK economy, at for 22 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions