Labour set to water down EV sales mandate by a quarter, defying its own MPs

Ministers are preparing to cut Britain's electric vehicle sales targets within days, with Louise Haigh — the de facto deputy prime minister — expected to finalise the plan after a Downing Street meeting on Wednesday. Government sources say the 2030 goal of 80% EV sales will drop to roughly 60%, a cut of about a quarter. The decision settles a long-running brawl between the transport, energy and business departments, and it lands right before Andy Burnham heads to his first Cop summit as prime minister, where he and foreign secretary Ed Miliband plan to preach electrification to the world.

The internal fight was fierce. Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds pushed to drop the 2030 interim target as low as 50%, while transport secretary Heidi Alexander is believed to have favoured around 60%. Energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh and her predecessor Ed Miliband wanted to hold the line at 80%. Burnham normally would have refereed, but he recused himself because his wife, Marie-France van Heel, advises the board of the Manchester EV charging network Be.EV. Haigh is expected to pair the softer target with extended flexibilities running to 2034, and has told colleagues she doesn't want them back asking for another cut later.

Carmakers have grumbled for years that the interim targets are unreachable, blaming inflation and squeezed household budgets. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders says the industry will blow past this year's 33% target, with battery EVs making up just 26.6% of new car sales in the first 10 months. Chief executive Mike Hawes said the gap between demand and the mandated targets keeps widening, and that real changes to the trajectory plus wider flexibilities are needed to protect jobs and investment.

Not everyone is celebrating. Shane Brennan, chief executive of charging trade body ChargeUK, warned that weakening the mandate puts £1.7bn of charging infrastructure at risk along with the jobs and supply chain spending tied to it. He said investor confidence will take a hit from a third change in three years, and accused the government of caving to the short-term interests of global car importers. Paul McNamee of the Labour Climate and Environment Forum said a serious weakening would read as abandoning climate leadership, and called for guarantees the mandate won't be watered down again.

Labour MPs are already restive after decisions to approve the Jackdaw gasfield and trim green funding to pay for higher defence spending. Many now see the looming calls on the Rosebank oilfield and the EV mandate as make-or-break. Lizzi Collinge, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, called the zero emission vehicle mandate decision possibly the biggest climate call on the PM's desk, while Monmouthshire MP Catherine Fookes said the mandate must stay and Rosebank must be rejected. A government spokesperson insisted ministers are united behind the mandate, that no decisions have been taken, and that the 2030 petrol and diesel phase-out and 2035 zero emission goals remain intact.

The policy carries real climate weight: it is expected to deliver nearly 14% of all the emissions reductions the UK has pledged between 2028 and 2032, more than any other single measure. Under rules introduced by the last Conservative government, carmakers must sell only EVs by 2035, climbing to 80% by 2030. August's consultation floated five options — keep 80%, keep 80% but stretch flexibilities to 2034, or drop the interim target to 70%, 60% or 50%. Haigh's expected pick sits at the lower end of that menu, and the fallout will likely follow fast.