UK Labour expected to cut EV sales targets by about a quarter despite MPs' protests

Ministers are expected to make steep cuts to the government's electric vehicle (EV) targets this week, in a move that will relieve carmakers but alarm many Labour MPs who are worried about the government's commitment to the green agenda.

Louise Haigh, the de facto deputy prime minister, will finalise the plan after a crunch meeting in Downing Street on Wednesday to settle a long-running dispute between the transport, energy and business departments.

Haigh is expected to agree to cut a target for EV sales by about a quarter, government sources say, helping British industry but setting up a potential fight with MPs and campaigners over the government's single biggest decarbonisation policy.

The decision will be made just as Andy Burnham prepares to travel to his first Cop summit as prime minister, where he and the foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, will champion electrification on a global scale.

With some MPs already upset by the decisions to approve the Jackdaw gasfield and to cut funding for green schemes to pay for higher defence spending, many see the upcoming decisions on the Rosebank oilfield and the EV mandate as critically important.

Lizzi Collinge, the Labour MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, said: 'The upcoming decision on the ZEV [zero emission vehicle] mandate will have a huge climate impact, possibly the biggest one that is on the PM's desk.' She added: 'But it will also set the direction for tackling the cost of living and helping get our energy prices down over the coming decade.'

Catherine Fookes, the MP for Monmouthshire, said: 'The government has some incredibly difficult decisions to make in the coming months and the prime minister will need to weigh up the consequences of each. We need the ZEV mandate to stay, and Rosebank to be rejected.'

A government spokesperson said: 'The government is united in its commitment to the ZEV mandate and no decisions have been taken.' The spokesperson added: 'We are committed to the phaseout of all new cars relying solely on petrol and diesel engines by 2030, and to 100 percent of new car and van sales being zero emission by 2035, and our legally binding net zero targets.'

The spokesperson added: 'Our consultation on the mandate will not change this, and will ensure we are taking a pragmatic and balanced approach to the ZEV transition.'

Under rules brought in by the last Conservative government, carmakers have to make sure they only sell EVs by 2035, gradually increasing the proportion over time to 80 percent by 2030.