Tory Mayor hopeful says petrol & diesel car ban ‘not going to happen’

Tory Mayor of London hopeful Susan Hall says a ban on new petrol and diesel cars ‘is not going to happen’

• Tory London mayor candidate Susan Hall pressures PM on petrol & diesel car ban

By Daisy Graham-Brown^[1]

Published: 22:15, 27 July 2023 | Updated: 22:57, 27 July 2023

The Tory hopeful taking on Sadiq Khan^[2] to be Mayor of London has said a government ban on new petrol cars ‘is not going to happen’.

Susan Hall, who was chosen last week as Conservative candidate for London mayor, yesterday became the latest senior Tory to pile pressure on Rishi Sunak^[3] to drop the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars^[4].

The Government’s target is designed to speed up the switch to electric vehicles as part of efforts to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

But Ms Hall, who will face Mr Khan^[5] in the May 2024 election, told the Spectator that the proposal was not achievable.

She said: ‘I think 2030 is not going to happen. We haven’t got charging points, there are so many issues. It’s an admirable aim, but I don’t think it will work.’

Tory hopeful Susan Hall (pictured) taking on Sadiq Khan to be Mayor of London has said a government ban on new cars ‘is not going to happen’

Ms Hall will face Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (pictured) in the May 2024 election

Asked if she would be prepared to defy No 10 on the 2030 target, she added: ‘Yes. I’d be speaking up for Londoners 100 per cent.

Mechanics lack spark

The number of newly qualified electric car technicians is expected to drop 31 per cent compared to last year in a ‘hugely damaging’ blow to the Government’s green plans.

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) warned the UK may be 25,000 mechanics short by 2030. It said the number of electric vehicle technicians who qualified in the first three months of this year is 10 per cent down on the same period last year, with a projected fall of 31 per cent compared to the second quarter of 2022.

Steve Nash, of the IMI, said ‘urgent attention is required to address the skills gap’.

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‘If you are the Mayor of London, you speak for Londoners. Even if that means fighting with the Government [or] anybody else. I’d be like a mother. I will fight for my London.’

Ms Hall’s comments come as the Mail calls for a rethink on the 2030 target. Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove tried to shut down debate about the timetable this week, saying it was ‘immovable’.

But a government source said the Prime Minister was open to reviewing the target, after warning that net zero ambitions must be pursued in a ‘proportionate and pragmatic way’.

Tory peer Lord Frost said on Tuesday it was time to move away from high-cost policies designed to halt climate change and focus on cheaper measures that will reduce the impact of events such as flooding.

According to Ms Hall, voters in London had expressed discontent with Mr Khan’s plans to extend the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez).

She said: ‘Out on the doorstep, I thought the questions would be all around Boris [Johnson] but it was all about the Ulez expansion.’

Asked if she would be prepared to defy No 10 on the 2030 target, Ms Hall (pictured with Rishi Sunak) added: ‘Yes. I’d be speaking up for Londoners 100 per cent. ‘If you are the Mayor of London, you speak for Londoners. Even if that means fighting with the Government [or] anybody else. I’d be like a mother. I will fight for my London’

References

1. ^{^} Daisy Graham-Brown (www.dailymail.co.uk)
2. ^{^} Sadiq Khan (www.dailymail.co.uk)
3. ^{^} Rishi Sunak (www.dailymail.co.uk)
4. ^{^} 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars (www.dailymail.co.uk)
5. ^{^} Mr Khan (www.dailymail.co.uk)