Manchester in North West England, the location of the Conservative Party Conference.

Rishi Sunak is expected to announce a “plan for motorists” that will prioritise car owners, constrain councils’ power and provoke environmentalists.

During today’s Tory conference in Manchester (1-4 October), the prime minister is expected to unveil pro-motorist measures that will limit councils’ ability to impose 20mph zones and levy fines from traffic cameras. On top of this, the PM is set to limit the number of hours cars can’t use bus lanes and reduce the use of license plate recognition cameras.

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Additionally, there will be restrictions on how much local authorities can fine and generate revenue from traffic cameras and yellow-box junction violations, as reported by The Guardian.

Sunak is also likely to raise objections about the concept of “15-minute cities,” which would involve mandating essential amenities and workplaces in close proximity to homes. It is not the first time this initiative has faced backlash. In February 2023, more than 2,000 protestors in Oxford argued that the idea was part of a UN-led conspiracy to restrict people’s mobility.

The Conservative Party’s stance on these issues is expected to provoke (and perhaps solicit) controversy. On the one hand, environmentalists will see this plan, alongside the watering down of net zero targets, as a major step back when it comes to achieving carbon neutrality. On the other hand, the policy will not be popular with local government, as it directly opposes council and regional government plans to tackle health and air pollution.

“Sunak’s plan is the latest in a recent series of contentious policy ideas, such as his watering down of net zero targets, designed to revive his government and create clear dividing lines with Labour”, reported the Guardian.

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Indeed, the new plan for motorists and the decision to delay the ICE ban to 2035 form part of a wider strategy to distinguish the Conservative Party, in the mind of the voter, from the Labour opposition. By slowing car decarbonization, Sunak is hoping to appease the worries of swing voters in key constituencies, the type of voter that was worried about having to spend £7,000 to replace their boiler for a heat pump, or to buy an EV at vast expense.

Regardless of whether this political strategy will be successful or not, one thing is for certain: these initiatives will signal to business leaders that, if the Conservative party wins the next elections, it will not be driving the green agenda at pace, thus discouraging the push for investment in ESG that many had widely adopted.