Ministers are preparing to relax rules on the UK’s electric vehicle market in response to claims that government sales quotas have pushed carmakers to crisis point.
Louise Haigh, the transport secretary, and Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, will hold talks with industry chiefs on Wednesday as a decision looms on the future of Vauxhall’s factories in Luton and Ellesmere Port, which together employ 2,500 people.
As of this year, carmakers must ensure that 22 per cent of car sales and 10 per cent of van sales in the UK are EVs, or incur a £15,000 penalty for each vehicle outside the target. It is understood that the rules on these quotas may be adjusted to relieve the pressure on the industry.