UK to ban sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030

LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to announce next week a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, five years earlier than previously planned, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.

Britain had originally planned to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel-powered cars from 2040, as part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and in February Johnson brought this forward to 2035.

Citing unidentified industry and government figures, the FT said Johnson now intended to move the date forward again to 2030 in a speech on environmental policy he is expected to give next week.

The BBC reported a similar plan earlier on Saturday, without giving any sources.

A Downing Street spokeswoman declined to comment on the reports or the content of Johnson's upcoming speech.

The FT said the new timetable was not expected to apply to some hybrid cars which use a mixture of electric and fossil fuel propulsion and could still be sold until 2035.

An end to the sale of new petrol and diesel cars would mark a huge shift in Britain's automotive market.

Industry figures show that petrol and diesel powered cars accounted for 73.6% of new car sales so far this year, while just 5.5% of sales were for pure electric vehicles, which are typically more expensive. Hybrid vehicles of various types made up the remaining sales.