Labour pledges to restore 2030 ICE ban for cars

Labour has vowed to reintroduce the ban on the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) cars from 2030, but makes no mention of whether that will also apply to vans.

Launching the party’s manifesto today (Thursday, June 13), Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer promised to kickstart economic growth.

The manifesto says that rebuilding Britain means modernising the country’s transport infrastructure.

“Our road network is plagued by long-promised projects that are never delivered,” it says.

“The potholes cratering our roads are a visible sign of the decline after 14 years of Conservative rule.”

It continues: “Cars remain by far the most popular form of transport. Labour will maintain and renew our road network, to ensure it serves drivers, cyclists and other road users, remains safe, and tackles congestion.”

It has pledged to fix an additional one million potholes across England in each year of the next Parliament, funded by deferring the A27 bypass, which it says is poor value for money.

The road upgrade in West Sussex was put on hold last year until at least 2025. It is not clear if and when Labour would aim to get it built.

Labour says it will further support drivers by tackling the soaring cost of car insurance, but does not explain how.

It will also support the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) by accelerating the roll out of charge points and supporting buyers of second-hand electric cars by standardising the information supplied on the condition of batteries.

There was no mention of reinstating the plug-in-car grant.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “The promise to restore 2030 as the phase-out deadline for new petrol and diesel vehicles comes as no surprise.

"Arguably it’s the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate that’s already in place which is more important, as it’s forcing manufacturers to sell an increasing proportion of electric vehicles over the next few years and should, in itself, help drive uptake. 

“However, it remains the case that electric vehicles are still far too expensive for a majority of drivers.

“The next Government has a great opportunity to stimulate demand by reintroducing a plug-in car grant aimed at the cheaper end of the market. This would make zero-emission driving a possibility for far more people.”

The Labour manifesto says that under the Conservatives, transport services have remained “fragmented and inefficient” with companies and sectors failing to speak to and plan with each other.

“Labour will give mayors the power to create unified and integrated transport systems, allowing for more seamless journeys, and to promote active travel networks,” it says.

“Labour will also develop a long-term strategy for transport, ensuring transport infrastructure can be delivered efficiently and on time.” 

Williams said: “It’s pleasing to see major concerns for drivers, such as local road maintenance and the transition to electric vehicles, high on the list of Labour’s priorities if they win power. However, there is an important issue which is notably absent.

“The previous Government promised £8.3bn of reallocated HS2 funding to resurface 5,000 miles of local roads. With no mention of reinstating HS2, it’s not apparent whether Labour would honour this spending commitment to tackle the nation’s pothole problem.

“If that proportion of budget – which would only resurface 3% of all council-run roads in England – is no longer dedicated to road maintenance, the proposed £320 million from the A27 bypass would not even be a drop in the ocean.”

Elsewhere in the manifesto, Labour says it will also establish a National Wealth Fund.

Capitalised with £7.3bn over the course of the next Parliament, the National Wealth Fund will have a remit to support Labour’s growth and clean energy missions, making transformative investments across every part of the country.

The fund will have a target of attracting £3 of private investment for every £1 of public investment, creating jobs across the country.

It includes plans to allocate £1.5bn for new gigafactories.

On taxation, a commitment to retain the full expensing system for capital investment and the annual investment allowance for small business was welcomed by the director of public affairs and policy at the Road Haulage Association (RHA), Declan Pang.

However, he said: “We need to see the same commitment for full expensing for leased assets (announced in the Budget).

“This will prove a significant support to hauliers, van and coach operators, particularly those affected by higher interest rates.

“With the average profit margin of a haulier just 2%, Labour needs to minimise the financial burden on operators from taxation particularly given that the cost of distribution impacts the prices on our shelves and the cost of living.”

Meanwhile, Matt Finch, UK policy manager at Transport and Environment, says that Labour’s clean energy plans have the potential to be transformative, especially since they mean the nation’s cars will be running on 100% green British energy sooner rather than later.

“We do, however, need more details on how they plan to decarbonise other sectors of the economy including transport, which is the UK’s largest emitting sector,” continued Finch.

“It’s positive that they have recognised that better public transport tackles congestion, air pollution and climate change.

“Providing more and better buses across the country and putting passengers at the heart of its rail strategy will help encourage more people to use public transport.

He added: “Commitments to restoring the 2030 phase out on new petrol and diesel cars, tackling the issues holding the UK’s charging network back from scaling up, and supporting second-hand EV buyers with standardised information on battery health will make people more confident in switching to an EV and embracing the future of UK road transport.

“But Labour needs to think hard about what they’re going to do to tackle the pollution spewing out of our trucks, planes and ships as they are significant obstacles in achieving a zero-emission transport system that works for everyone in the UK.”

Labour’s manifesto launch comes after the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats published their party manifestos.

The Conservative party has vowed to “back drivers” by stopping road pricing and reversing the expansion of London’s ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ).

Launching the party’s manifesto at Silverstone on Tuesday (June 11), Prime Minister Rishi Sunak outlined a package of policies, including a Backing Drivers Bill.

It followed the unveiling of the Liberal Democrat manifesto on Monday (June 10). 

It has vowed to reinstate the plug-in car grant and the ban the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) cars and vans from 2030.

It also says it will support new chargers with an upgraded National Grid and a step-change in local grid capacity, cut VAT on public charging to 5%