Dear George,
I hope you are well. Thank you for contacting me about the Government’s plans for new Powered Two Wheelers (PTWs).
In November 2020 the Government announced that the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK would be phased out by 2030 and all new cars and vans would be zero emission by 2035. Although I respect that you may disagree with this position, I support this target. Decarbonising our transport sector is one of the most pressing challenges that we face as a nation.
The evidence is clear that transport is our country’s largest emitting sector, responsible for 24% of the UK’s total emissions in 2020. While motorcycles are less polluting than other combustion engine vehicles, there were over 1.4 million motorcycles licensed in 2020 and the Department for Transport has stated that it “does not want to see them remaining fossil fuelled as the rest of the vehicle fleet cleans up.” It points out that zero emission powered light vehicles are a clean and efficient way of getting around and can reduce congestion, air, and noise pollution from transport.
As you will know, the Department for Transport consulted on ending new non-zero emission L-category vehicles sales by 2035 between July and September 2022. However, we are still waiting for the Government to respond to the consultation and your email hits upon the importance that the transition to zero emission vehicles is smooth.
I hope we can agree that it is essential the Government reflects on the concerns that you and others have raised within their consultation response. It is important that, at the same time as accelerating the phase out of combustion engines, Ministers set out a credible plan as to how this will be done and that that transition is fair.
This should, in my view, prioritise the creation of low-carbon jobs and industries and ensure that communities are properly supported as we make the transition to a greener economy. I believe we must support motorists directly by turbocharging the transition to cheaper electric vehicles, making them affordable and accessible.
Thank you once again for contacting me about this issue.
Yours sincerely,
Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP Labour Member of Parliament for Kingston upon Hull North Chair of Home Affairs Select Committee
Dear [….],
I hope you are well. Thank you for contacting me about the Government’s plans for new Powered Two Wheelers (PTWs).
In November 2020 the Government announced that the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK would be phased out by 2030 and all new cars and vans would be zero emission by 2035. Although I respect that you may disagree with this position, I support this target. Decarbonising our transport sector is one of the most pressing challenges that we face as a nation.
The evidence is clear that transport is our country’s largest emitting sector, responsible for 24% of the UK’s total emissions in 2020. While motorcycles are less polluting than other combustion engine vehicles, there were over 1.4 million motorcycles licensed in 2020 and the Department for Transport has stated that it “does not want to see them remaining fossil fuelled as the rest of the vehicle fleet cleans up.” It points out that zero emission powered light vehicles are a clean and efficient way of getting around and can reduce congestion, air, and noise pollution from transport.
As you will know, the Department for Transport consulted on ending new non-zero emission L-category vehicles sales by 2035 between July and September 2022. However, we are still waiting for the Government to respond to the consultation and your email hits upon the importance that the transition to zero emission vehicles is smooth.
I hope we can agree that it is essential the Government reflects on the concerns that you and others have raised within their consultation response. It is important that, at the same time as accelerating the phase out of combustion engines, Ministers set out a credible plan as to how this will be done and that that transition is fair.
This should, in my view, prioritise the creation of low-carbon jobs and industries and ensure that communities are properly supported as we make the transition to a greener economy. I believe we must support motorists directly by turbocharging the transition to cheaper electric vehicles, making them affordable and accessible.
Thank you once again for contacting me about this issue.
Yours sincerely,
Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP
Labour Member of Parliament for Kingston upon Hull North Chair of Home Affairs Select Committee
19th July 2023