Seven traffic and road laws coming under the Labour government have emerged in the wake of their General Election win. Sir Keir Starmer the Labour Prime Minister has shed light on the plans for the UK roads after defeating the Conservative Party last Thursday.
Labour won the General Election on Thursday by a landslide - with Sir Keir now ramping up policies and naming his Cabinet. UK car industry bosses have called on new prime minister Sir Keir to put motoring issues at the top of his to-do list after his Labour Party triumphed with a landslide election victory.
Starmer also pledged to increase the roll out of EV chargers and mend Britain’s crumbling roads. “Rebuilding Britain means modernising our transport infrastructure,” he wrote in the party’s manifesto ahead of his landslide victory.
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Fuel duty
Keir Starmer spoke to GB News about the future of the fuel duty cut and what Labour would do to ease pressure at the pumps for motorists. He told Political Editor Christopher Hope: "On fuel duty, obviously we are very sensitive to this because we know how impactful it is.
"Every year we’ve supported the position of keeping that frozen. It’s a budget-by-budget issue but I would say to anyone with concerns on this to check our track record.
“We’ve always said freeze the fuel duty. That’s our long history and we do it for a purpose.”
ULEZ
While Labour has expressed support for clean air zones in the past, its manifesto does not include any plans for a ‘national ULEZ’ or similar ULEZ schemes in specific locations from July, and we’ve not seen any other specific evidence of such plans.
Labour said: “Labour supports the principle of clean air zones and recognises the huge damage to human health caused by air pollution and the damage to our climate caused by carbon emissions from polluting vehicles.
“However, they must be phased in carefully, mindful of the impacts on small businesses and low-paid workers, and should be accompanied with a just transition plan to enable people to switch affordably to low-emission vehicles.”
Petrol and diesel ban
Labour has brought forward the end of new petrol and diesel car sales. Originally slated for 2030, it was pushed back to 2035 by Rishi Sunak, and has now been restored to its original 2030 target.
A party spokesperson said: “The choice at this election is clear: a Conservative government that pollutes our rivers with record levels of toxic sewage, is led by and funded by climate deniers and fails to meet our climate and nature targets; or a Labour government that will restore nature, deliver the largest investment in clean energy in our history so we can cut bills for families, make Britain energy independent and tackle the climate crisis to protect our home for our children and grandchildren.
“Britain needs change. It’s time to stop the chaos, turn the page and start to rebuild.”
VED
There is nothing in Labour's manifesto about a new road tax (Vehicle Excise Duty) or pay per mile, but Starmer did say in the build up to the election: "All of our plans are fully funded and fully costed and none of them require tax rises over and above the ones that we’ve already announced”.
While Labour’s manifesto does not mention plans to introduce a national ULEZ or pay-per-mile scheme, it also does not explicitly rule it out —unlike the Conservative manifesto, which says it will “back drivers by stopping road pricing”.
Car insurance
Louise Haigh, who is expected to be made Transport Secretary once Keir Starmer unveils his cabinet, spoke about the need for Labour to address the high prices given that around one million people have cancelled their insurance policy as costs reach unaffordable levels.
EVs
The manifesto states: "Cars remain by far the most popular form of transport. Labour will maintain and renew our road network, to ensure it serves drivers, cyclists and other road users, remains safe, and tackles congestion.
"We will fix an additional one million potholes across England in eachyear of the next parliament, funded by deferring the A27 bypass, which is poor value for money. Labour will further support drivers by tackling the soaring cost of carinsurance. And, as set out in our automotive sector plan, Labour will support the transition to electric vehicles by accelerating the roll out of charge points, giving certainty to manufacturers by restoring the phase-out date of 2030 for new cars with internal combustion engines, and supporting buyers of second-hand electric cars by standardising the information supplied on the condition of batteries."
Potholes
Speaking previously, Louise Haigh said: "The Conservatives have left Britain’s roads plagued with potholes and have sat back as car insurance costs have spiralled out of control."
Labour claims that investment in local road maintenance would deliver around £6.50 in benefits for every pound spent compared to less than £2 from the A27 bypass.
