Prime Minister Boris Johnson has plans to announce a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel-powered cars from 2030 next week - five years earlier than previously outlined - according to a report from the Financial Times today.
Originally, the UK had planned to bring the ban in from 2040, as part of aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Johnson then brought this forward to 2035 back in February, following advice from experts who said 2040 would be too late if the UK wanted to achieve its target of emitting virtually zero carbon by 2050.
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However, now the Financial Times reports that Johnson intends to move the date forward once again to 2030, citing unnamed industry and government figures.
"The prime minister is expected to move the date forward to 2030 in an attempt to jump-start the market for electric cars in the UK and push Britain towards its climate goal," the outlet writes.
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The BBC also reported a similar plan of action earlier today, again without naming any sources.
Johnson is expected to announce the change in a speech on environmental policy, which he is believed to be giving next week.
According to the Financial Times, the new timetable is not expected to apply to some hybrid cars, which use a combination of electric and fossil fuel propulsion, meaning these could be on sale until 2035.
"The government is expected to keep the less stringent date of 2035 for the phase-out of the sale of hybrid cars that plug in to charge," the report says.
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Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has said the news is 'very good' if true, calling on the government to be 'consistent' with other actions.
When Johnson brought the ban forward to 2035 in February, Friends of the Earth's Mike Childs also said 2030 would be a better time frame.
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"A new 2035 target will still leave the UK in the slow-lane of the electric car revolution and meantime allow more greenhouse gases to spew into the atmosphere," he told the BBC.
LADbible has contacted Number 10 for a comment.
Featured Image Credit: PA
