Conservative voters overwhelmingly oppose the government’s plan to ban new petrol and diesel car sales by 2030, survey finds

• More than eight in ten Tory voters are opposed to the government’s planned ban
• Rishi Sunak has remained committed to the 2030 deadline despite opposition

Tory voters overwhelmingly want the Government to ditch plans to ban new petrol and diesel car sales in the UK by 2030, a survey suggests.

More than eight in ten Conservative voters are against the forthcoming ban, which will effectively force motorists to switch to electric vehicles.

But Rishi Sunak remains committed to the 2030 deadline, despite mounting concerns from drivers and car manufacturers that the infrastructure is not in place to cope with the influx of green vehicles on UK roads.

The survey by ConservativeHome also found four in ten Tory voters are against the Government’s pledge to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

It comes amid claims the Government diverted £136million away from its EV supply chain fund and transferred it to Sizewell C, Britain’s main nuclear reactor project.

(Stock Photo) More than eight in ten Tory voters oppose plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030

Documents obtained by The i newspaper claim more than three-quarters of the £191million budget for the Automotive Transformation Fund was instead spent on the construction of the power station in Suffolk.

This week, the Prime Minister announced plans to ‘max out’ oil and gas reserves by granting more than 100 new licences to drill in the North Sea.

The announcement is in stark contrast to Labour, who said they would ban new licences on the Scottish coast.

Mr Sunak also hinted that the UK’s largest untapped oil field, Rosebank, to the west of Shetland, could be approved for drilling despite fierce opposition from environmental campaigners.

But the ConHome poll of nearly 700 party voters found overwhelming support for ministers ditching key green pledges.

A total of 83 per cent of respondents said the Government is wrong to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol vehicles in 2030, while just 15 per cent supported it.

The Mail has called for a rethink of the 2030 EV target, with much of Europe already delaying the policy by five years until 2035.

Rishi Sunak has sought to align himself with motorists in recent weeks following Labour’s by-election failure in Uxbridge which was widely blamed on plans to expand the ULEZ

Mr Sunak has sought to align himself with motorists in recent weeks, saying he is on their ‘side’ after Labour’s failure to win last month’s Uxbridge and Ruislip by-election, which was widely blamed on London mayor Sadiq Khan’s commitment to expanding the controversial ultra-low emission zone.

The Prime Minister has also ordered a review of divisive low-traffic neighbourhoods, which restrict vehicles in certain areas in an attempt to relieve congestion.

Two-thirds (66 per cent) of those polled told ConHome they did not support LTNs, with just 6 per cent unequivocally in favour.

Two in five Tory voters (40 per cent) said the Government was wrong to seek reaching net zero by 2050, while the same percentage said the Government was right to do so but should not have the target written into law.

And two-thirds (66 per cent) denied there was a climate emergency.

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