Richard Holden has launched a scathing attack on Labour’s plans to ban petrol and diesel cars by 2030, declaring the Tories will “scrap” the policy.Speaking to GB News, the Shadow Transport Secretary took aim at the Government’s “ideological” ban on drivers, declaring it the “wrong approach”.Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has also confirmed her plans to scrap the ban entirely if her party wins the next general election.Branding the ban a “well-meaning but ultimately destructive piece of legislation”, Mrs Badenoch said: “The only winners in this economic self-harm are China, who have happily profited from our decision to accelerate demand for electric vehicles without first securing our own battery and mineral supply chains.”
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Backing Mrs Badenoch’s stance, Mr Holden told GB News: “At the moment, the Government says that 80 per cent of all new cars sold have to be electric by 2030, with a total ban by 2035.”And all the way up to 2030, our car manufacturers are facing increased fines for the percentage that they do not hit those targets.”He explained: “The fines are going to be up to £14,000 per vehicle, or they have to buy a credit from a foreign company which just produces electric cars like BYD from China. “So at the moment, we’re in a situation where basically by 2030, people have to buy electric vehicles, and that’s the situation we’re in now.”Outlining his party’s plans to scrap the ban all together, Mr Holden told GB News: “Our new policy from the Conservatives is that we will scrap these targets, both a 2030 target and the 2035 target. “Because the choice of what sort of vehicle you want should be yours. It’s horses for courses, some people want electric cars, and we produce some fantastic ones, but some people want to stick with a hybrid or a diesel or a petrol, and it should be their choice.”Criticising Labour’s “ideological” approach to petrol and diesel cars, he stated: “I think the Government’s taking this really ideological approach which says, actually, we need to turbocharge this and just go for electric only. I think it’s the wrong approach. “And that’s why we Conservatives have said, look, we need to have a look at this again, and actually, when it comes down to it, let’s scrap it.”LATEST DEVELOPMENTSBritish drivers return to petrol and diesel cars and shun ‘expensive’ electric vehiclesMajor car brands recall 370,000 vehicles over serious accident fears – Ford, Hyundai and moreDrivers warned of 75% car insurance price hike after Rachel Reeves’ Motability Budget cutsStressing that the choice of vehicle a Briton drives should “not be subsidised by the taxpayer”, Mr Holden said: “Also, there’s £3.8billion worth of subsidy going in at the moment into electric cars, at the same time as the Government is also trying to introduce a pay per mile tax. “The entire policy from this Labour Government is very confused and it’s time that we moved on from it and actually did something which is in favour of individual choice, which is, you want an electric car? “That’s great. If you want a petrol or diesel car, that’s also fine. It should be individual choice, not subsidised by the taxpayer.”Asked by host Ellie Costello how their plans to scrap the ban will “save people money”, Mr Holden responded: “I think overall, we’re reducing taxpayer subsidy by £3.8billion. “That’s money that the Government isn’t spending, which we can then put into either reducing the deficit or into tax cuts as well.”And I think that’s really important, especially at a time when the public finances really are being squeezed. “And we all know that Labour keep putting up taxes, let’s not be putting up people’s taxes to pay foreign companies to produce electric cars in other countries. “That is literally what is happening under this Government today.”He added: “Companies in Germany, in Romania, in Italy and Japan are being paid to produce electric cars and sell them to the British people. “I think that’s a crazy situation we are having. People should be making their own choices, but we shouldn’t be subsidising foreign workers to produce foreign cars to be sold in this country.”Asked for his reaction to the mass shooting on Bondi Beach over the weekend, Mr Holden expressed his condolences to the families of those killed by the gunmen.He concluded: “It is a horrific story, and seeing the Jewish communities targeted yet again, it’s just awful. “And my mind was thrown back to those attacks in Manchester just a few months ago on the synagogue there.”It’s pretty clear that there are people who just hate in our country at the moment, and I don’t understand this level of loathing and antisemitism myself. “I cannot see it or understand it. And we need to get through to people to tackle this properly.”
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