Sunak dilutes green agenda, delays ban on new petrol cars

The British prime minister has pushed back UK’s ban on sale of new petrol and diesel cars by five years to 2035

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak diluted key parts of his UK government's green agenda, including pushing back a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by five years to 2035, as he set out what he called a "new approach" to tackling climate change.

"At least for now it should be you, the consumer, who makes that choice, not the government forcing you to do it it," Sunak said in a speech in Downing Street Wednesday. He said he expects the vast majority of vehicles sold in the UK to be electric by 2030 without government intervention, due to falling costs.

Sunak said he is still committed to reaching net zero by 2050 but said the UK should do it in a "more proportionate way" that makes allowances for voters facing cost-of-living pressure.

The statement was brought forward after his planned U-turn was leaked to the BBC, triggering a backlash from some members of his Conservative Party over fears it would damage Britain's international standing and dissuade businesses from investing. The shift also caught Cabinet members by surprise, people familiar with the matter said, as Sunak set out his plans in a call Wednesday.