Question
I thank the Secretary of State for that clarification. Last week, Chancellor Merz set out his plans to scrap the ban on petrol and diesel cars across the EU, saying, “We stand by drivers. We stand with our industry. We stand with open innovation in technology…the internal combustion ban is off the table.” When will this Transport Secretary listen to British business, the unions and British drivers and scrap the zero emission vehicle mandate that is costing British jobs and costing British taxpayers?
Answer
I say gently to the right hon. Gentleman that the ZEV mandate is the rarest of things: a policy brought in by his Government that I agree with. Sadly, after a good start, even they managed to mess that up. When we came into office, we had to reinstate the 2030 phase-out date for petrol and diesel cars. It is important that we provide certainty to consumers and industry. I believe that approach is working: nearly a third of new cars sold are electric vehicles, up from around a quarter a year ago.33% point-scoring
Verdict: AMBER (72/100)
The question asked whether the Government would scrap the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate. The reply does not state outright that it will not scrap the mandate, but its position is clear: it backs the mandate, has kept the 2030 phase-out date, and argues that certainty helps consumers and industry. It also points to the growing share of electric vehicle sales as evidence the approach is working. A reader would understand the Government is not scrapping the mandate, though they would have to infer that from the reply rather than read it as a direct statement.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| When will the Government scrap the zero emission vehicle mandate? | Addressed | Direct | The reply does not give a date for scrapping the mandate. Instead it implicitly rejects scrapping it: the minister says the Government agrees with the ZEV mandate, reinstated the 2030 phase-out date, argues certainty is needed for consumers and industry, and cites the share of EV sales as evidence the approach is working. The refusal is clear and comes with stated reasons, though it is never stated as a bare 'we will not scrap it'. |