Having just completed working the party conference circuit, Director of public affairs, Marc Woolfson, shared his views on what the various political announcements mean for the fleet sector in the latest BVRLA blog.
Speaking about the Labour conference, he explained; “Given the protests raging across London last week, it is perhaps appropriate that climate change and the decarbonisation agenda took centre stage. Nowhere was this more obvious than in Brighton, where Labour members voted for an “ambitious” plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2035. While this was the headline grabbing policy, it was the announcements surrounding electric vehicles which caught the eye. Calling for all business car fleets to be fully electric by 2025 is a bold statement and a recognition of the importance of the fleet sector in achieving net-zero, supported by a new scrappage scheme and removal of the VED surcharge.”
At the Conservative Party Conference, in contrast, Marc observed; “In keeping with their minimalist slogan the event was light on policy, perhaps epitomised by the leader’s own speech. This was a pre-cursor to an imminent election campaign - much like this week’s Queen’s Speech. However, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps’ penchant for electric vehicles already appears to be having an impact, with rumours that a ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars could be brought forward to 2035.”
Read Marc’s blog in full - An insider’s view of the current political playground
