RISHI Sunak will today confirm a five-year delay to the hated ban on petrol and diesel car sales – in a huge win for The Sun's Give Us A Brake campaign.
An influential group of Tory MPs backed the move that is set to be formally announced by the PM at a 4.30pm press conference.
In a letter seen by The Sun, the 24-strong New Conservative group of MPs praised the delay as "a pragmatic decision that balances efforts to address climate change with the economic circumstances we face".
They rallied round Mr Sunak after he promised to reach Net Zero in a "better, more proportionate" way that does not clobber families.
The PM shifted position after thousands backed our calls to spare hard-working Brits stumping up for expensive climate policies.
In key developments:
- The 2030 ban on new sales of fossil-fuel cars is set to be delayed until 2035
- A phasing out of gas boilers is also expected to be softened
- The PM issued a statement admitting past governments have not been open about the costs of going green
- Suella Braverman vowed Net Zero should not "bankrupt the British people"
- Downing Street insisted it was still committed to hitting Net Zero by 2050
- Some figures in the car industry hit out at Mr Sunak's climbdown
Ahead of his speech in Downing Street this afternoon, Tory MPs rowed in behind Mr Sunak's change of tack.
Co-chairs of the New Conservatives group, Miriam Cates and Danny Kruger, said: "We know that new Conservative voters will welcome this announcement as a common-sense approach to the environmental challenges that we face.
"They will know that our party is on the side of working people who are trying to get on, make a living, and provide for their families.
"Our message to colleagues is to recognise the impact of this policy on those voters."
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But some fellow MPs were critical, including Tory Chris Skidmore who warned it could be the "gravest mistake" of Mr Sunak's premiership.
The PM is set to delay the 2030 ban by five years – marking a massive victory for The Sun's Give Us A Brake campaign.
Last night he promised a "better, more proportionate way" of reaching Net Zero that did not punish hard-pressed families.
The phasing out of gas boilers is also expected to be softened to stop Brits forking out for expensive eco upgrades.
The PM said successive governments "have not been honest about costs and trade offs" of going green.
A small group of Tory MPs, including former Cop26 President Alok Sharma, lashed out at the decision.
But the New Conservatives group said it shows the PM "will always put the working people of this country first".
Car giant Ford said the government was undermining its efforts ramping up production of zero-emissions vehicles.
Chair Lisa Brankin said: "Our business needs three things from the UK government, ambition, commitment, and consistency… A relaxation of 2030 would undermine all three."
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However, on a private Tory WhatsApp group Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch told backbench critics: "If there's one thing I've learnt as Business Secretary it's that the auto industry says a lot of things in public and different things in private.
"They certainly do not always speak with one voice when they speak to me and understandably are all seeking market share against their competitors."
This morning the Home Secretary similarly leapt to the PM's defence.
She suggested an early ban on petrol cars would "bankrupt British people".
Ms Braverman told Sky News: "Fundamentally, we’re not going to save the planet by bankrupting the British people.
"We need to put economic growth and household costs first.
"We need to put the cost of living first."
SUNAK'S PLEDGE
After news of his climbdown was leaked yesterday, the PM got on the front foot with a message to voters.
He said: “I know people are frustrated with politics and want real change. Our political system rewards short-term decision-making that is holding our country back.
"For too many years politicians in governments of all stripes have not been honest about costs and trade offs. Instead they have taken the easy way out, saying we can have it all.
“This realism doesn’t mean losing our ambition or abandoning our commitments. Far from it. I am proud that Britain is leading the world on climate change.
"We are committed to Net Zero by 2050 and the agreements we have made internationally – but doing so in a better, more proportionate way.
“Our politics must again put the long-term interests of our country before the short-term political needs of the moment.
“No leak will stop me beginning the process of telling the country how and why we need to change.”
GIVE US A BRAKE
The Sun's Give Us A Brake campaign asks ministers to commit to five clear promises.
- No ULEZ expansion in London or nationwide
- No Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods where the public objects
- Delay on 2030 diesel and petrol car ban until the country is ready
- Scrap edict that 22% of car sales must be electric by 2024
- No new green motoring stealth taxes and fuel duty
Polling conducted for The Sun by YouGov last month showed more and more Brits have backed The Sun's call to delay the 2030 ban.
More than half – 53 per cent – now are now opposed to the clampdown compared to 36 per cent that support it.
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But more than half – 51 per cent – of voters backed the end of sales of non-green cars just two years ago as the cost of the policy becomes clearer.
And amongst the voters who gave the Tories their thumping 2019 election win, there is even more concern – with support dropping to just 18 per cent, from 41 per cent.
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