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South Holland and the Deepings MP Sir John Hayes calls for an end to the ‘war on motorists’




Is the ban on new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 ‘unfair and undeliverable’? Our MP thinks so...

When my father acquired his first car in the late 1950, owning a vehicle opened up opportunities previously out of reach. The delight of being able to drive to visit friends, discover new places, or simply have a ‘run out’ altered the lives of working people for whom cars meant the kind of freedom previously enjoyed only by a wealthy few.

Today, there are more than 35 million automobiles on Britain’s roads, with over 77% of households owning one. For many people in a rural area like ours, a car is the means of getting to work, taking children to school, or getting to a hospital appointment. For thousands of my constituents, access to a car is a necessity, not a luxury.

South Holland and the Deepings MP Sir John Hayes
South Holland and the Deepings MP Sir John Hayes

In my childhood, people used to speak of ‘going out for a drive’ as a weekend treat. Few would say the same today, as climate alarmists are determined to make car ownership more of a burden than a pleasure. The resultant relentless assault on motorists comes in many forms – the rising costs of running a car, 20 mph speed limits on many major roads, prohibitive parking restrictions in towns and cities and numerous roadworks which seem ever longer-lasting. Alongside which, in many urban centres, underused bus and cycle lanes delay and frustrate road users.

Now in a misguided attempt to appeal to climate zealots, the Labour London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is costing a fortune and causing mayhem. Meanwhile, extraordinarily, in Wales the Labour First Minister has banned the building of all new roads! All this as deluded – invariably middle-class – activists glue themselves to highways during rush hours, so preventing journeys to work, school, or even hospital.

We should all care about air quality and what we bequeath future generations. That’s why, as Transport Minister, I encouraged cycling and walking and introduced pivotal measures on electric cars. But policies must be weighed carefully against their effect on the least well-off’s wellbeing, and in the Capital and elsewhere, working people are being forced to pay prohibitive costs just to get to work. The decision to expand the ULEZ to outer London has, understandably, angered hard-working people forced to pay additional fees at a time of rising living costs. The plans are driven by both out-of-touch bourgeois liberals – many of whom live in central London and have no sense of how many people rely on cars every day – and by those who are behind this thinly disguised plot to generate revenue for cash-hungry local authorities.

It’s time to acknowledge that the ban on new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 is unfair and undeliverable. Recent polling found that around 60% per cent of people want the plans to be scrapped or delayed.

It is revealing that Germany, Italy and Eastern European countries have announced they oppose the EU’s planned 2035 phase out of new internal combustion engine vehicles. I hope the Government will look again at this deadline, in response to the anger from motorists affected by the ULEZ. As Roads Minister I fixed the target at 2050 – when I left office the date was rapidly brought forward.

The Government continues to freeze fuel duty and the Prime Minister has made his opposition to the ULEZ expansion clear, with Ministers now encouraging local councils to rethink how ‘low traffic neighbourhoods’ like Sadiq Khan’s in London make life so difficult for so many.

Knowing the importance of good bus and rail services, I have campaigned for better public transport throughout my time in Parliament and the work of our local transport forum – of which I am honoured to be President – has been of great value, but the plain fact is that because for many people a car is essential to make the best of life, drivers should not be treated as pariahs.

It is time to end the war on motorists.



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