Car culture war declared

A byelection defined by a fight over a low emission scheme is redrawing the national political battleground, writes Peter

Stonham

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has ordered the Department for Transport (DfT) to undertake a review of low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in England, saying that he is on the side of drivers and was supporting people to “use their cars to do all the things that matter to them”, as he told the Sunday Telegraph. The review will only look at LTNs in England, as they are a devolved matter in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The move comes in the wake of the Uxbridge and South Ruislip byelection, which the Conservatives held to some surprise, and which has led to intense political discussion about the influence on the vote of the extension of the London Ultra Low Emission (ULEZ) zone to the outer boroughs, including the area of the constituency. Meanwhile, last month the High Court rejected a legal challenge to the ULEZ expansion by five local authorities. The judges dismissed the councils’ case, saying the mayor’s expansion decision was “within his powers”.

However, speaking after the court decision, Sunak said “banning things and stopping people from doing things is not the right approach” to reaching net zero. He said the government would strive to meet the net zero target without “unnecessarily adding costs and burdens to families, particularly at a time like now when the cost of living is a challenge for people with inflation”.

Labour leader, Sir Kier Starmer, has acknowledged the impact of ULEZ on the result and urged the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to reflect on his decision to press on with the plan.

It all marks a sharpening debate on green policies in the run up to the forthcoming General Election.

LTNs received a boost during the pandemic when the Boris Johnson government supported moves to encourage more walking and cycling locally, along with the aim of reducing traffic, principally by preventing drivers using residential roads as through-routes. They have also been advocated as increasing road safety and reducing localised air pollution. But critics, including some Conservative MPs, argue that they limit the freedom of motorists and push traffic onto other surrounding roads, simply shifting the problem.

In a Sunday Telegraph interview, Sunak said he was not planning to change the deadline for the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesels cars, despite calls from some Conservatives to do so. It has also been ruled out by Communities and Levelling Up Secretary, Michael Gove. The plan is part of the government’s commitment to achieve net zero by 2050. Sunak pledged “The 2030 target has been our policy for a long time and continues to be – we are not considering a delay to that date.”

However, in a letter to the Prime Minister, a group of 43 Conservative MPs and peers, including Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and David Davis, suggested moving the target to 2035 would avoid “grave harm to the economy”. The letter stated: “The public can only be left worse off by a heavyhanded ban that leaves them unable to purchase the vehicles they want. The future for this country is in imposing fewer burdens and being more lightly regulated than the EU, not in unilaterally imposing additional job-destroying burdens to meet an unnecessary and unworkable deadline.”

In sharp contrast, more than 50 environment groups have also written to the Prime Minister saying they will not “stand by” while politicians use the environment as a “political football”. They are expressing “deep alarm” at reports his government may water down its green commitments. They have requested an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister. The signatories to the letter include Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace UK, the National Trust, RPSCA and RSPB. They say they represent 20 million people. The only signatory directly related to transport appears to be Sustrans. After referencing recent wildfires across the globe, the letter writers say that the environment “remains a central concern for voters” and there is “no public mandate for a delay”.

The letter stated: “It is courage and leadership that we need now. In the past, we have mobilised many of our members collectively with extraordinary results, and our resolve to stand firm now against any and all attacks on this critical policy agenda remains absolute.”

Peter Stonham is editorial director of Landor LINKS