EV targets 'will not be weakened' despite pressure

Rules on the percentage of electric vehicles (EVs) car firms must sell will not be weakened, the transport secretary has said, despite growing pressure from the industry.

The mandate will become tougher next year ahead of a complete ban on new diesel and petrol cars in 2035, but car makers have suggested the rules could threaten jobs.

Several senior government ministers and car makers with factories in the UK will hold crunch talks this week about the EV mandate and the slump in car demand.

Louise Haigh said she will look at "flexibilities", but insisted that "the mandate will not be weakened".

"There has been a downturn in demand on a global level so we are absolutely in listening mode - we want to discuss how the current situation is affecting them, but we are not diluting our ambition," the transport secretary told LBC Radio on Sunday.

"I’m meeting with Nissan tomorrow and the business secretary, the energy minister and I are meeting with a number of automotive manufacturers later in the week in order to discuss the challenges that they face on a global scale."