Labor promises to phase out internal combustion engines in cars by 2030.

Labour PartyThe ruling party has published its election manifesto, with standout pledges including a pledge to phase out combustion engines in cars by 2030 and fix an extra million potholes a year across England.

Launched at an event at the Co-op’s headquarters in Manchester, the manifesto was touted as a long-term plan for change rather than a quick fix, focusing on economic growth and “stability” and encompassing many of the policies previously announced.

Labour said its first steps towards change would be to secure economic stability, cut NHS waiting times, launch a new border protection command, create Great British Energy as a publicly owned clean energy company, crack down on anti-social behaviour and hire 6,500 new teachers. The party also unveiled a tax block for working people – a pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT rates.

For fleets, drivers and the automotive sector, the main offer was a commitment to phase out combustion engines in passenger cars in 2030 – as previously announced – to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles. This would be supported by accelerating the deployment of charging points and supporting buyers of used electric cars by standardizing the information provided on battery health. However, there was no commitment to restore the 2030 phase-out date for combustion engines in commercial vehicles and no news of subsidies.

Labor also said it would secure the future of the UK’s car and steel industries through the National Wealth Fund, which will allocate £1.5 billion for new gigafactories to make “our car industry a world leader”.

The party also pledged to “introduce the necessary changes to be able to start building new roads, railways, water reservoirs and other infrastructure of national importance.”

For roads, this would mean committing to maintaining and renewing a network that the party says is “plagued by long-promised projects that have never been delivered”.

Warning that “potholes are a visible sign of deterioration after 14 years of Conservative rule”, Sir Keir Starmer’s party said it would fix an extra million potholes across England in each year of the next parliament, funding this by postponing the construction of the A27 Sussex bypass, which it said was “poorly value for money”.

Labor also said it would support drivers to deal with rising car insurance costs and develop a new road safety strategy.

Wider transport policy included a commitment to overhaul Britain’s railways, transforming them into public ownership and reforming the “broken system” of bus services by giving local leaders new powers to franchise local services, as well as lifting the ban on council takeovers.

Plans to “secure the long-term future of the UK aviation industry” include promoting sustainable aviation fuels and measures to encourage airspace modernisation.

This is the latest election manifesto to be announced this week, following the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Green Party. The Libyan Democrats announced the reinstatement of the ICE ban on cars and vans from 2030, while the Green Party said it would like to end the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2027 and end the use of petrol and diesel vehicles on the road by 2035. Meanwhile, the Tories have said they will “stop drivers” by stopping road charging and reversing the ULEZ expansion in London.

Commenting on Labour’s plans, Jakob Pfaudler, AA’s chief executive, said: ‘We are pleased that Labour’s Manifesto reflects many of the principles set out in the AA’s Automotive Manifesto.

“It is crucial that the reintroduction of 2030 deadlines for the introduction of zero-emission cars is accompanied by an acceleration of the rollout of charging points, investment in new gigafactories and support for drivers making the switch.

“The AA is pleased that these elections have allowed drivers to take the reins and that discussions are ongoing on a comprehensive policy that should help shape a better road for all drivers.”

Electric vehicle commitments are welcome, but one transport issue is ‘conspicuously absent’

The RAC said it was pleased that Labor had put issues on important issues for drivers, such as maintaining local roads and switching to electric vehicles, high on its agenda.

Policy chief Simon Williams added: “However, it is still the case that electric vehicles are far too expensive for most drivers. The next government has a great opportunity to stimulate demand by reintroducing the plug-in car subsidy, aimed at the cheaper end of the market. This would make zero-emission driving possible for many more people.”

However, he warned that the issue of transport was “completely absent” from the manifesto.

“The previous government promised £8.3 billion of reallocated HS2 funding to refurbish 5,000 miles of local roads. With no mention of restoring HS2, it is unclear whether Labor will honor this spending commitment to tackle the country’s pothole problem. If this part of the budget – which would cover the renewal of just 3% of all council roads in England – is no longer spent on road maintenance, the proposed £320 million from the A27 bypass would not even be a drop in the ocean.”

Auto Trader also welcomed the reinstatement of the commitment to phase out combustion engines from cars by 2030.

Ian Plummer, commercial director, said: “Manufacturers and the wider industry are already working towards this date following the ZEV mandate that the Government announced last year, so it makes sense to realign consumer expectations, providing them with greater certainty.

“We also welcome the wider commitment to standardising battery information to reassure buyers, given that concerns about battery health are making it difficult for some consumers to consider switching. Although the new government could do more – for example, reducing VAT on charging in public places and supporting the used electric vehicle market – to encourage greener motoring.”

Green campaign group Transport & Environment said it was positive Labour recognised that better public transport tackles congestion, air pollution and climate change, and that the measures aimed to persuade more people to switch to electric vehicles.

Matt Finch, UK policy director, added: “But Labor needs to think seriously about what it is going to do to tackle the pollution emitted by our trucks, planes and ships, because it is a major obstacle to achieving a system zero emissions transport that works for everyone in the UK.”

Retiring combustion engines from use in 2030 will not be possible without help

Electric vehicle charging company Cord said Labor had been “frustratingly unclear about what it will do to increase the take-up of electric vehicles to meet the 2030 target it has recommitted to”.

“This won’t happen without help,” said Paul Tomlinson, co-founder of Cord. “Private sales of electric vehicles are seriously struggling. Public money is limited, but there are a number of small interventions that could make a difference and would not cost much.

Corda’s recommended measures include using a planning system to make it easier to install home chargers, as well as considering a temporary VAT cut on electric vehicles.

Tomlinson also called on the new government to end fossil fuel subsidies.

“Since 2011, the government has spent an estimated £130 billion on a fuel duty freeze, which is a huge subsidy for fossil fuel vehicles. Unfreezing this freeze would send a price signal to hesitant drivers to switch.”

The Social Market Foundation, an independent British public policy think tank, said more needed to be done to get electric vehicles to households that need them most.

Gideon Salutin, senior researcher at the SMF, said: “Electric vehicles could save households thousands of pounds in the long term, but their high initial price puts them out of reach for millions. Social leasing, which subsidises the cost of car leasing for low-income households, could lift hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty at a fraction of the cost of other policies, cleaning up our air and making our streets healthier.”

Tara Foley, CEO of AXA UK&I, welcomed the announcement of battery health standardization.

“Axa UK has long called for the introduction of standardized battery health certificates to improve the affordability of used electric vehicles. There is currently no method for fairly pricing used and third-party electric vehicles and no clear benchmark for customers, so we’re delighted to see this commitment reflected in Labour’s manifesto. We hope that any future government will make this a priority and we would like to work with them on this key proposal.”

Finally, Robin Heap, CEO of Zest, said: “I welcome the support for the development of EV infrastructure in the Labor Party manifesto. I am also encouraged by the party’s commitment to planning reform.

“To support a faster transition to electric vehicles, there must be abundant EV charging available where everyone can use it – in the heart of every community. We cannot leave this to local authorities and currently private investment in community charging is being held back by planning frameworks designed with a different age in mind.”

The Labour Party’s election manifesto is available online here.