British PM delays total ban on gasoline, diesel cars by 5 years

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has postponed the planned ban on gasoline and diesel vehicles until 2035.

This decision, announced on September 20, delays the ban on the sale of new gas and diesel vehicles by five years from its initial target date of 2030, aligning Britain with countries like Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Australia, Canada, Sweden, and some US states, as announced in Sunak's recent speech, as reported by iTV.

Under this revised plan, motorists will still be allowed to buy and sell used gasoline and diesel cars and vans even after the 2035 cut-off date. This means that fossil fuel-powered vehicles could continue to be present on British roads beyond the country's 2050 Net Zero emissions target.

Sunak emphasized that he is not watering down the government's commitment to addressing climate change. Instead, he aims to avoid burdening already financially strained consumers with significant upfront costs. He highlighted the increasing consumer preference for electric vehicles, with a new electric car being registered every minute.

Furthermore, the government has scrapped plans to insulate homes for energy efficiency by 2025, which was estimated to cost an average of $9,830 per household. Sunak assured that the government would continue to offer grants for such improvements and would "never force any household to do it".

Shadow Climate and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband criticized Sunak's decision as "an act of weakness from a desperate, directionless prime minister, dancing to the tune of a small minority of his party influenced by a small faction within his party, and lacking a clear direction on climate policy".