Analysts say delay is political, unsettles investorsLONDON, Sept 25 - Britain's decision to delay a ban on new fossil fuel car sales may make little difference to the pace of a shift to electric vehicles , even though the news drew anger fromUK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is expected to face a tough election in 2024, said the five-year delay to 2035 was not political and was about "doing what's right for the country".
Announced in 2020, the 2030 ban was touted by then prime minister Boris Johnson, with whom Sunak has clashed, as a way to establish British global EV leadership. The UK goal was ahead of the 2035 ban in the European Union, where most British-made cars are sold. Under the new mandate that the government could make public as early as this week, the 80% 2030 electric target should remain - with the other 20% a mixture of fossil fuel models and hybrids until 2035.
In 2022, around 1.6 million new cars were sold in Britain, just 2% of global sales, meaning the country has little impact on overall figures.