A HATED ban on petrol and diesel cars will be DELAYED by five years under a drastic green climbdown eyed by Rishi Sunak.
Hopes were rising last night that the PM will ease a raft of climate commitments in a landmark win for Sun readers and millions of hard-pressed families.
GettyThe 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars is set to be delayed under a green climbdown[/caption]
The Sun’s Give Us A Brake Campaign aims to slow down the Government’s ruinous race to net zero
A huge scaling back will reportedly see him push back both the phasing out of gas boilers and sale of non eco vehicles.
Downing Street last night insisted Mr Sunak is committed to hitting Net Zero by 2050 but did not deny plans to curb the existing environmental pledges.
In a speech in the coming days Mr Sunak is set to trumpet Britain’s progress while calling out laggard countries who are failing to curb emissions.
He is expected to kick back the ban on the sale of new fuel-powered cars from 2030 to 2035, just weeks after saying he would not budge.
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An aim to completely get rid of gas boilers by 2035 will also be diluted to just 80 per cent of them gone.
And proposed costly energy efficiency regulations on homes will also be scrapped, while the 2035 ban on off-grid boilers also delayed, according to the BBC.
Ministers have been under pressure from Tory MPs to soften their eco drive for fear it will cost them at the next election.
Scores have backed The Sun’s Give Us A Brake Campaign to spare motorists paying the price of politicians’ eco ambitions.
A flagship demand is to delay the 2030 ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars until the country is ready.
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Ex-Cabinet Minister Sir John Redwood last night said delaying the eco pledges would mark a “treble win” for Brits.
He told the Sun: “What you do with the petrol and diesel ban is actually increase Co2 emissions because people will just import cars from other countries.
“It’s bad for the environment, bad for British industry and bad for families being thumped by the policies. So ditching it would be a treble win.
“We simply must not be punishing the wrong people with these policies.”
Tory MP Craig Mackinlay declared the roll back “positive news for UK consumers”.
He told the Sun: “t will make previous pie in the sky ‘greenwash’ deadlines into something more achievable. It will give the opportunity for technology to prove itself in the free market rather than being told this or that is to banned, what to buy and when.
“We’ll leave those arguments of state control to Labour. This additionally matches with the timetables of competitor countries. I’m pleased to see sensible pragmatism from the PM.”
But fellow Tory Chris Skidmore warned Mr Sunak could be “making the greatest mistake of his premiership”.
The green-minded MP said: “It will potentially destabilise thousands of jobs and see investment go elsewhere.
“And ultimately the people who will pay the price for this will be householders whose bills will remain higher as a result of inefficient fossil fuels and being dependent on volatile international fossil fuel prices.”
A government spokesperson said: “The Government remains completely committed to its Net Zero commitments, with the UK having cut emissions faster than any other G7 country.
“Our approach will always be pragmatic and ensure costs are not passed onto hard-working families. We will not comment on speculation.”