The UK government chose to weaken its electric car sales rules despite advice from its own official climate advisers, who had warned that such changes could lead to a damaging increase in UK carbon emissions. This decision highlights a growing rift between policymakers and their expert bodies.
The Climate Change Committee (CCC), the statutory body that advises the government on its environmental targets, has consistently advocated for strong, clear regulatory signals like the original ZEV mandate. Weakening the policy runs counter to their recommendations for accelerating, not slowing, the pace of decarbonisation.
The documents reveal that the government was presented with two competing narratives: one from its climate experts, focused on emissions and long-term targets, and one from the auto industry, focused on jobs, profits, and short-term viability. The government ultimately found the industry’s arguments more persuasive.
This raises serious questions about the role of expert advice in modern governance. If a government is willing to disregard the counsel of its official advisers in favour of corporate lobbying, it undermines the evidence-based policymaking process and jeopardises the achievement of long-term national objectives like Net Zero.