The government is expected to announce a relaxation of the electric vehicle (EV) sales mandate, a move that unions and environmental groups say could damage the UK’s industrial strategy and leave workers in the lurch.
Under current rules, car manufacturers must ensure that 22% of their sales are electric this year, rising annually to 80% by 2030. But with demand for EVs stalling and factories warning of job losses, the Treasury is understood to be preparing a watering down of the target. Details remain scarce, but sources suggest the threshold may be lowered to around 18% this year, with a more gradual trajectory to 2030.
For the worker on the plant floor in Sunderland or Swindon, this is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it could prevent immediate redundancies as manufacturers struggle to shift metal. Nissan, which builds the Leaf and Qashqai in Sunderland, has already warned that low consumer interest in EVs is hitting production. On the other, it signals a lack of long-term confidence in the transition, leaving communities unsure if their jobs will survive the decade.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has long called for greater incentives, not weaker targets. "Industry needs consistency and support, not a retreat," said a spokesperson. But the Treasury appears to be bowing to pressure from carmakers who argue that customers are not ready for the upfront cost of EVs.
Unite the Union, which represents thousands of auto workers, condemned the expected move as a "betrayal" of the green industrial revolution. "Our members have been trained for the future. Now the rug is being pulled from under them," said a senior official.
Environmental campaigners are equally scathing. Greenpeace UK described any weakening as a "serious mistake" that would leave the UK lagging behind Europe and China. China, after all, is already churning out cheap EVs and flooding global markets.
At the kitchen table, the impact is less abstract. The cost of a new EV remains stubbornly high, at around £40,000 on average. For the typical household in Doncaster or Middlesbrough, that is unaffordable. So while the mandate seeks to force manufacturers to sell more EVs, without cheap loans or scrappage schemes, the ordinary buyer is left out. And if the targets fall, so too will the pressure on companies to invest in British battery gigafactories, which promise thousands of skilled jobs.
The timing is also political. The Conservative government is keen to avoid a backlash from drivers and factory workers ahead of a likely general election. But the shift risks sending a message that the UK is not serious about tackling climate change or securing the industries of tomorrow.
The expected announcement is framed as a pragmatic response to economic reality. But for the tens of thousands of people whose livelihoods depend on a thriving automotive sector, and for the families worried about the cost of heating and transport, this is not just an industrial policy detail. It is a test of whether the government will hold the line for green jobs and a green future.
As the details of the softened mandate leak out, the debate will intensify. The Treasury insists it remains committed to net zero. But for now, the price of bread and the price of a car are both going up, and the government seems to be blinking.
