Labour pledges to create 30,000 EV jobs as UK lags behind competitors
The Labour Party has pledged to create 30,000 electric vehicle (EV) new jobs – both in factories and across the supply chain – within the next three years.
The move is part of Labour’s plan to partly fund three additional gigafactories by 2025, as it warned the UK’s investment in EV and battery production was lagging behind EU rivals.
According to new research, by 2028 Germany could have 150,000 more EV jobs compared with the UK, while France and Hungary would exceed Britain by 20,000 and 30,000 respectively.
“The Conservatives’ failure to harness the potential of our net zero transition and grow our economy risks British industries losing out to competitors abroad,” said Labour’s business secretary Jonathan Reynolds.
“A Labour Government will re-energise Britain’s economy by seizing the opportunities of the future.”
Offering loans for new and used electric cars as well as accelerating the roll-out of charging points feature among the party’s other proposals.
The pledge comes as Brits are becoming increasingly put off buying EVs due to the rocketing of inflation rates, which have reached 9.1 per cent, City PM reported.
Data from Close Brothers Motor Finance (CBMF) reported that 41 per cent of Britons have decided against going electric as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.