Kemi Badenoch has confirmed the Conservatives would scrap the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars if they win the next general election.
The Opposition leader said Labour’s push towards electric vehicles risks damaging the UK economy, describing it as “economic self-harm”. She warned that moving too quickly to electric cars could leave Britain dependent on China, particularly for batteries and raw materials.
Badenoch’s comments put her directly at odds with Labour’s Net Zero plans, which the Government has described as a major economic opportunity. Her intervention comes as Labour faces growing pressure to delay the 2030 ban, especially after the European Union signalled it may push back its own deadline.
Speaking after talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Badenoch said China would be the main beneficiary if the UK pressed ahead alone. She argued that the EU’s decision to abandon its original ban deadline shows Britain would be putting its own car industry at a disadvantage.
She told The Telegraph that accelerating demand for electric vehicles without securing domestic battery and mineral supply chains mainly benefits China. The MP for North West Essex also pledged to scrap the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which requires carmakers to increase the proportion of electric vehicles they sell each year, eventually reaching 100%.
Ministers have so far insisted the UK timetable will stay in place, with sales of new petrol and diesel cars ending in 2030 and hybrids in 2035. However, industry leaders have raised concerns that consumer demand for electric cars is not yet strong enough to meet these targets.
There are also worries about the potential return of government grants for electric vehicles, which were scrapped by the Conservatives in 2022. Badenoch said removing the ban would save taxpayers billions in subsidies and tax breaks.
She said the Conservatives would “bring the UK back into line with global markets” and allow businesses to respond to real consumer demand. While she supports cleaner transport, she said progress must be based on affordability, practicality and technological readiness.
“I’m willing to be criticised for taking the right, if controversial, approach if it prevents the deindustrialisation of the UK,” she said.
Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice also backed scrapping the ban, calling it necessary to protect the UK car industry.
The 2030 ban was first introduced under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, with the UK aiming to move faster than the EU, which had set a 2035 target. Badenoch, then business secretary, opposed the policy in Cabinet, arguing it would deter investment.
Despite calls from manufacturers to rethink the policy, Downing Street has insisted the ban will go ahead. A government spokesperson said the UK remains committed to ending sales of new non-zero emission cars and vans by 2035, adding that electric vehicles now account for around one in four new car sales.
