New Climate and Nature Crisis Caucus chair Chris Hinchliff has written to Heidi Alexander warning that diluting the ZEV Mandate would hurt climate goals, industry and consumers.
Labour MP Chris Hinchliff, the newly elected Chair of the Climate and Nature Crisis Caucus, has written to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander urging the government not to water down the UK's Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate.
In one of his first moves as chair of the caucus, a group of MPs pressing for ambitious action on the climate and nature emergencies, Hinchliff warned that any weakening of electric vehicle targets would set back the UK's climate ambitions, undermine Britain's industrial strategy and leave households more exposed to future fossil fuel price shocks.
His letter stresses the role of the ZEV Mandate in cutting emissions from transport, one of the country's largest sources of greenhouse gases. It points to warnings from the Climate Change Committee that the government's review of the policy should not lead to further concessions, and to analysis suggesting that softening the 2030 targets could sharply reduce the emissions savings the policy delivers.
Chris Hinchliff: 'Now is not the time to weaken one of the government's most important policies'
"The climate crisis, energy security and Britain's industrial future are all pulling in the same direction," Hinchliff said. "Now is not the time to weaken one of the Government's most important policies for cutting emissions and supporting the transition to clean transport."
Certainty for British manufacturers
He argued that industry needs a clear signal to invest. "British manufacturers need certainty to invest in the industries of the future. Weakening the ZEV Mandate would send exactly the wrong signal at a time when other countries are racing ahead in the global competition for green technology and manufacturing jobs."
Instead of slowing down, he said, the government should go further: "Instead of slowing the transition, we should be backing British industry to lead it, while making it easier and more affordable for people to use electric vehicles and public transport."
The full letter is available here. More on the caucus at thecncc.org.
