The Labour Party has promised a larger network of charging points for electric vehicles and interest free loans to buy electric cars if elected in the next general election.
As part of the party’s ‘green industrial revolution’ the plans could drastically reduce air pollution and greenhouse.
Speaking to the Guardian newspaper, the party’s shadow business secretary, Rebecca Long-Bailey, said the increase in rapid-charging stations would allow for up to 21m electric cars in the next decade, while the loan incentives would ensure EVs make up two-thirds of the total UK fleet by 2030. Long-Bailey also said that the changes would create 3,000 jobs for electricians and engineers.
“The climate crisis is right at the forefront of British politics at the moment, helped by the climate strikes, Extinction Rebellion and the mass movement that we’ve seen on our streets,” Long-Bailey said.
“It’s shown that people are very, very angry at the lack of action the government is taking. In fact, we’ve got something verging on a climate denier as our prime minister, and that’s very worrying.”
Climate issues are set to be a strong theme at this week’s Labour conference, while Long-Bailey is using the crisis in the motor industry as a chance to inspire change.
She said: “It’s not Brexit that’s impacting the automotive sector and moving them to the edge of a cliff – there’s a whole raft of headwinds they’re facing that’s stopping them being able to engage in the electric vehicle revolution,”
“They won’t do it themselves without support from government.”