Ministers will consult on relaxing rules around electric car sales after fierce opposition from motor manufacturers to penalties for failing to meet sales targets.
Captains of industry met Louise Haigh, the transport secretary, and Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, on Wednesday to discuss the transition to electric vehicles. Hours before the meeting began, Ford confirmed that it would cut a further 800 jobs in the UK.
Ministers confirmed that the government would bring the ban on new petrol and diesel cars forward by five years to 2030, but opened the door to a watering-down of new rules.
Louise Haigh, the transport secretary, met executives from leading car manufacturers
WIKTOR SZYMANOWICZ/FUTURE PUBLISHING/GETTY IMAGES
Under the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which started in January, manufacturers must ensure that 22 per cent of their sales this year are electric vehicles (EVs), a
