Rishi Sunak is facing the threat of a major rebellion unless he agrees to drop plans for a ban on all petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.
Express.co.uk has seen a letter from 43 parliamentarians demanding that he reverses the Net Zero policy which has been described as “unworkable”.
Among the signatories are former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, former Business Secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and former Brexit minister David Frost.
It comes after the Tories pulled off a surprise victory in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election won because voters there were furious at Labour London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s decision to impose a £12.50 daily tax on thousands of drivers by expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez).
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The letter states: “We believe the proposed ban on petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030 would risk that entire approach and do grave harm to the economy.
“The public can only be left worse off by a heavy-handed ban that leaves them unable to purchase the vehicles they want.
“A report by the CEBR has warned that the cost of this policy would be a staggering £400billion; over five times the assessed benefits, even when using the Government’s own valuations of the environmental benefits.
“We are far from convinced that new electricity generation and charging point roll-out is anywhere close to being on track to match the 2030 ambition, just seven years away.”
The MPs pointed out that the UK is globally alone in pushing for such a rushed target with even the EU not trying to impose a ban by 2030 and is instead looking at 2035.
But they also warned that Mr Sunak is missing out on the opportunities of Brexit by pushing hard on expensive green regulations.
They wrote: “The future for this country is in imposing fewer burdens and being more lightly regulated than the EU, not in unilaterally imposing additional job-destroying burdens to meet and unnecessary and unworkable deadline.”
With the Tories also lagging 20 points behind in the polls they noted that net zero policies are “deeply unpopular”.
They said: “Only 28 percent believe it is the right policy, whereas 53 percent think it is the wrong policy, according to a [recent] poll.
“As the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election shows, new costs and taxes to be borne across various enforced Net Zero proposals are deeply unpopular and people resent being told what they can and cannot buy.
“Affordable transport is essential to a modern economy, and it would be a travesty if private vehicles were only affordable for the richest in society.”
They added: “The time is right for a re-think. Over recent days, implementation dates for stricter EPC certification for rental properties and the so-called ‘recycling tax’ have been put back.
“A move to 2035 to match competitor countries such as the EU bloc and the USA would seem entirely sensible.”
The letter came out as former Home Secretary Priti Patel warned that too much of the Government had been looking at “ticking boxes and not the cost on the public.”
In an interview with GB News this morning she called for “a pause” on the 2030 ban on petrol and diesel vehicle sales.
It is understood that Rishi Sunak is considering a reversal on the policy which was announced by Boris Johnson ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow.
He has already said he will reconsider Low Traffic Neighbourhood schemes which are seen as a cash cow for councils to fine drivers.
From the Conservatives, the letter was signed by Craig Mackinlay, Lord Frost, Lord Moylan, Sir John Redwood, Jonathan Gullis, Sir Jacob Rees Mogg, Baroness Foster of Oxton, Anne Marie Morris, Andrea Jenkyns, Scott Benton, Marcus Fysh, Baroness Lea, Philip Davies, Andrew Lewer, Damien Moore, Adam Holloway, Baroness Noakes, Chris Green, Bob Blackman, Karl McCartney, Peter Bone, Greg Smith, Richard Drax, David Davis, Mark Francois, Marco Longhi, Adam Afriyie, Ben Bradley, Esther McVey, Jackie Doyle Price, Lia Nici, Craig Tracey, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Philip Hollobone, Sir Robert Syms, Brendan Clarke-Smith, four unnamed Conservative MPs, and two unnamed Conservative peers.
Other signatories were the DUP’s Sammy Wilson, Reclaim Party Andrew Bridgen and Independent Julian Knight.
