The UK government has announced a relaxation of electric vehicle sales targets to help the car industry in the face of trade tariffs from the US.
Currently at least 28% of cars sold by manufacturers in the UK must be electric vehicles that will rise every year until 2030 when every petrol and diesel car sold will incur a fine. Amid mounting pressure from car makers the government has announced that fines would be reduced from £15,000 per car sold to £12,000, with a number of luxury brands such as Aston Martin and Bentley being granted exemptions.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been speaking on a visit to Jaguar Land Rover after the firm announced last week they’d pause their imports into the US due to the new tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump.
“There’s no doubt about the challenge but this is a moment for cool heads,” said the PM. “Nobody wins from a trade war but it’s also a moment for urgency because we’ve got to rise together as a nation to the great challenge of our age and it is the great challenge which is to renew Britain so we’re secure in this era of global instability.
“Nobody is pretending that tariffs are good news – 25% tariffs on automotive exports and 10% on other goods is a huge challenge for our future and the global economic consequences could be profound.”
(Pic: Fred Duval)
