Boris Johnson has vowed to end the sale of new petrol or diesel cars by 2030, as part of the government’s 10-point plan for a “green industrial revolution”.
The prime minister announced the target would be brought forward from 2035, as he outlined a £1.3bn investment in charge-points in homes, streets and on motorways.
Part of the government’s bid to meet the UK’s commitment to net zero by 2050, Johnson said nearly £500m will be spent on the development and mass-scale production of electric vehicle batteries.
Much of the cash would be focused on manufacturing bases in the midlands and north-east, he said.
It comes as he tries to reset his premiership, less than a year after winning an 80-seat majority, after the resignation of key aides Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain last week.
Elsewhere in the 10-point plan, there are moves to have the UK’s first town entirely heated by hydrogen by the end of the decade, a renewed push on nuclear power and support for restoring nature and for walking and cycling.
Johnson, who has already highlighted plans to power every home in the country by offshore wind within 10 years as part of his vision, said the moves would support up to 250,000 jobs.
But the Labour Party has said the ten-point plan ”doesn’t remotely meet the scale of what is needed” and “pales in comparison” to investment commitments of governments in France and Germany.
The UK is preparing to host the United Nations COP 26 climate summit in Glasgow in November 2021.
Johnson said: “Although this year has taken a very different path to the one we expected, I haven’t lost sight of our ambitious plans to level up across the country.
“My 10-point plan will create, support and protect hundreds of thousands of green jobs, whilst making strides towards net zero by 2050.
“Our green industrial revolution will be powered by the wind turbines of Scotland and the north-east, propelled by the electric vehicles made in the midlands and advanced by the latest technologies developed in Wales, so we can look ahead to a more prosperous, greener future.”
The government’s 10-point plan on climate:
– Offshore wind: Producing enough offshore wind to power every home by 2030, supporting up to 60,000 jobs.
– Hydrogen: Creating the capacity to generate low carbon hydrogen for industry, transport, power and homes, and aiming to develop the first town heated entirely by hydrogen by the end of the decade.
– Nuclear: Advancing large scale nuclear plants and developing the next generation of small and advanced reactors, which could support 10,000 jobs.
– Electric vehicles: Accelerating the transition to electric vehicles, and transforming national infrastructure to better support the technology.
– Public transport, cycling and walking: Making cycling and walking more attractive ways to travel and investing in zero-emission public transport.
– Jet Zero and greener maritime: Research projects for zero-emission planes and ships.
– Homes and public buildings: Making homes, schools and hospitals greener, warmer and more energy efficient, including a target to install 600,000 heat pumps every year by 2028.
– Carbon capture: Becoming a world-leader in technology to capture and store harmful emissions away from the atmosphere, with a target to remove 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030, equivalent to all emissions of the industrial Humber.
– Nature: Protecting and restoring the natural environment, including planting 30,000 hectares of trees every year.
– Innovation and finance: Developing cutting-edge technologies and making the City of London the global centre of green finance.
As well as investment in electric vehicles, the government said there is an extra £1bn next year for energy efficiency and up to £500 million to develop new hydrogen production facilities and trial homes using hydrogen.
An extra £200 million of new funding will go towards creating two clusters of carbon capture and storage infrastructure, there is a £525 million boost to nuclear power and £20 million for a competition to develop clean maritime technology.
Ed Miliband, shadow business secretary said only a fraction of the funding for the plan was new, however, adding: “We don’t need rebadged funding pots and reheated pledges, but an ambitious plan that meets the scale of the task we are facing and – crucially – creates jobs now.
“That’s why Labour called for the government to bring forward £30 billion of capital investment over the next 18 months and invest it in low-carbon sectors now as part of a rapid stimulus package to support 400,000 additional jobs.“