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Sir Keir Starmer promised “bold changes” as he announced he will relax rules around electric vehicles after carmakers were hit by Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The prime minister said “global trade is being transformed” after the US president‘s 25% levy on imported cars, and 10% tariff on other products, came into force.

Jaguar Land Rover has said the firm will “pause” shipments to the US as it looks to “address the new trading terms”.

Trump adviser explains why tariffs put on island inhabited only by penguins

Labour made a manifesto pledge to restore a 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars after it had been rolled back to 2035 by Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government.

Sir Keir Starmer. Pic: Reuters
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Starmer promises to ‘back British business’. Pic: Reuters

Sir Keir will officially confirm the ban in an announcement on Monday but regulations around manufacturing targets on electric cars and vans will be altered, to help firms in the transition.

Luxury supercar firms such as Aston Martin and McLaren will still be allowed to keep producing petrol cars beyond the 2030 date, because they only manufacture a small number of vehicles per year.

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‘Nothing off the table’ over tariffs

Petrol and diesel vans will also be allowed to be sold until 2035, along with hybrids and plug-in hybrid cars.

The government is also going to make it easier for manufacturers who do not comply with the government’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which sets sales targets, to avoid fines, and the levies will be reduced.

Sir Keir said: “I am determined to back British brilliance.

“Now more than ever UK businesses and working people need a government that steps up, not stands aside.

“That means action, not words.”

Officials have said support for the car industry will continue to be kept under review as the full impact of the tariffs announced last week becomes clear.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the industry deserves “clarity” in the economic context.

She said: “Our ambitious package of strengthening reforms will protect and create jobs, making the UK a global automotive leader in the switch to EVs, all the while meeting our core manifesto commitment to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.”

Read more:
Starmer pledges to shelter UK business from tariff storm
Jaguar Land Rover decision sparks anxiety in car-making hub

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said the government had “recognised the intense pressure manufacturers are under”, while Colin Walker, a transport analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said the ZEV mandate is a “global success story” in driving a surge in sales of electric vehicles.

Tariff impact on UK businesses revealed

Some 62% of UK firms with trade exposure to the US are being negatively impacted by Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to the British Chambers of Commerce.

Its survey of more than 600 businesses also found 32% of firms with trade exposure to the US said they will increase prices in response.

The survey also found 41% of firms with no exposure to the USA said they would be negatively impacted by the tariffs.

Some 44% of firms with exposure to the US said the UK should seek to negotiate a closer trade relationship with the US, while 43% said they wanted closer trade with other markets.

Just under a quarter (21%) said they thought the UK should impose retaliatory tariffs.

The survey also found that 40% of firms considered the 10% tariffs to be better than they had expected.

It comes as KPMG warned US tariffs on UK exports could see GDP growth fall to 0.8% in 2025 and 2026.

The accountancy firm said higher tariffs on specific categories, such as cars, aluminium and steel, would more than offset the exemption on pharmaceutical exports, leaving the effective tariffs imposed on UK exports at around 12%.

Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, said: “Given the economic impact that tariffs would cause, there is a strong incentive to seek a negotiated settlement that diminishes the need for tariffs. The UK automotive manufacturing sector is particularly exposed given the complex supply chains of some producers.”

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Two-phase public inquiry into Southport murders formally launched

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Two-phase public inquiry into Southport murders formally launched

A two-phase statutory public inquiry into the Southport murders has been formally launched.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the first phase would look at the circumstances around Axel Rudakubana’s attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class last summer.

It will focus on issues around policing, the criminal justice system and the multiple agencies involved with the attacker who killed three girls – seven-year-old Elsie Stancombe, six-year-old Bebe King and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine.

It follows the revelation Rudakubana had been referred to the government’s Prevent scheme on three occasions, with the cases being closed each time.

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Police officer in van that followed teens before Cardiff e-bike crash won’t face charges

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Police officer in van that followed teens before Cardiff e-bike crash won't face charges

A police officer who was driving a van that followed two teenagers shortly before they died in an e-bike crash will not be prosecuted.

The deaths of Harvey Evans, 15, and Kyrees Sullivan, 16, sparked riots in the Ely area of Cardiff in May 2023.

The officer was facing a dangerous driving allegation but prosecutors decided there was not enough evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.

A Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) statement said: “We fully understand that this will be disappointing news for the families of both boys and will offer a meeting with them to explain our reasoning further.”

Rumours on social media that the teenagers were being pursued by police were initially denied.

South Wales Police said none of its vehicles were in Snowden Road at the time of the crash.

But police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) later confirmed it was investigating after video appeared to show them being followed by a van – without blue lights or a siren – minutes before the incident.

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Other footage, however, showed the van turn off and it wasn’t following the boys at the time of the collision.

A key factor under consideration was whether there was any point at which the actions of the officers in the van “constituted a pursuit”.

CCTV show police van following bike moments before Ely crash
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CCTV showed a police van following the bike moments before it crashed

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Timeline of events before fatal Cardiff crash

The driver and passenger of the marked police van were previously issued with gross misconduct notices.

A second investigation was also opened by the IOPC into issues including police management of the crash scene and treatment of the families.

The scene in Ely, Cardiff, following the riot that broke out after two teenagers died in a crash. Tensions reached breaking point after officers were called to the collision, in Snowden Road, Ely, at about 6pm on Monday. Officers faced what they called "large-scale disorder", with at least two cars torched as trouble involving scores of youths flared for hours. Picture date: Tuesday May 23, 2023.
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Riots broke out in the Ely area after the boys’ death. Pic: PA

Council workers secure the area immediately around a car that was set alight in Ely, Cardiff, following the riot that broke out after two teenagers died in a crash. Tensions reached breaking point after officers were called to the collision, in Snowden Road, Ely, at about 6pm on Monday. Officers faced what they called "large-scale disorder", with at least two cars torched as trouble involving scores of youths flared for hours. Picture date: Tuesday May 23, 2023.
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Pic: PA

A riot of several hours broke out after the boys’ deaths, with cars set alight and fireworks and other missiles thrown at police.

Eleven officers needed hospital treatment and 31 people were eventually charged.

The decision not to charge the police officer driving the van can be challenged under the victims’ right of review scheme.

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Keiron Charles: Teenagers charged with murder after boy, 17, stabbed to death

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Keiron Charles: Teenagers charged with murder after boy, 17, stabbed to death

Two teenagers have been charged with murder after a 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in west London on Saturday, police have said.

The suspects have not been named because they are both 16, the Metropolitan Police said.

Keiron Charles, 17, from East Acton, died in Erconwald Street, Shepherd’s Bush, after police were called at 1.10pm on Saturday.

Met officers and London Ambulance Service crews attended the scene near the junction with Du Cane Road and Old Oak Common Lane.

Paramedics tried to save the teenager, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Family’s fears for violent son
Head teacher facing jail for attack

Detective Chief Inspector Alex Gammampila, who is leading the investigation, called it “an awful incident in which a teenager has lost his life”.

“The thoughts of everyone in the Met remain with Keiron’s family and loved ones as they begin to come to terms with their tragic loss,” the officer added.

The suspects are due to appear at Highbury Corner Youth Court on Monday.

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