The Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch is reported to be pushing cabinet colleagues to water down net zero rules on electric vehicles that are due to come into force in January.

From next year, 22% of vehicles sold by manufacturers in the UK must be zero emission models which are totally electric. They’ll be fined £15,000 for every vehicle sold over that limit.

But the Telegraph reports manufacturers are warning they will not be able to hit that requirement.

The paper quotes a spokesman for Mrs Badenoch as saying: “If major car companies employing thousands of people are saying that there’s a problem, then it’s her job to look at ways to ease that problem.”

The report adds that Honda and Toyota said last week there should be a softening of the rules and Mrs Badenoch’s spokesman was also quoted saying “Honda and Toyota are not the only manufacturers who have raised concerns” and “Kemi has been raising their concerns with colleagues in the Cabinet”.

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