Kemi Badenoch Says Conservatives Would Scrap Petrol and Diesel Car Ban

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said her party would abandon the planned ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles if it wins the next general election, arguing the policy risks damaging the UK’s car industry.

Speaking after a meeting with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, Badenoch described the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate as “well-intentioned but ultimately harmful”. Under the current policy, all new cars sold from 2030 would need to be electric or hybrid as part of the UK’s legally binding target to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Net zero refers to balancing greenhouse gas emissions produced with those removed from the atmosphere.

Badenoch pointed to growing resistance within the European Union to similar measures. Six EU countries, including Italy, have recently urged a rethink of plans to phase out new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035, warning the move could undermine industrial competitiveness.

She said the EU’s shifting stance risked leaving the UK isolated if it pressed ahead alone, claiming this could disadvantage domestic manufacturers while strengthening overseas competitors, particularly China. “The only winners from this approach are foreign supply chains,” she said.

While confirming the Conservatives would still support cleaner transport, Badenoch said any transition must be guided by affordability, practicality and technological progress, rather than rigid deadlines. She argued scrapping the ZEV mandate would give the UK’s car industry time and flexibility to rebuild.

The comments come amid division within the automotive sector, with some manufacturers backing the 2030 target and others warning they need more government support to meet it.

In its most recent Budget, the government announced £1.3bn in additional funding for the Electric Car Grant to encourage uptake of electric vehicles. Chancellor Rachel Reeves also confirmed that from April 2028, drivers of battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles will pay a new Electric Vehicle Excise Duty of 3p per mile — a move some critics say could dampen demand.

The ban on petrol and diesel car sales was first announced in 2020 under then prime minister Boris Johnson, though Badenoch opposed the policy at the time. It was later delayed to 2035 by Rishi Sunak, before Labour pledged to bring the deadline forward again in its 2024 election manifesto.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said the government remains committed to ending the sale of new non-zero emission cars and vans, adding that uptake of electric vehicles continues to rise.