It is no secret that drivers are being battered with high costs at every possible venture. Moving traffic offences, Clean Air Zones and ever-changing speed limits just to name a few.
That’s also without taking into account the rising prices of car insurance, vehicle tax and petrol and diesel prices. Many drivers have likely considered their future behind the wheel because of this.
While an election is around the corner (eventually) and prices may fluctuate, experts are pointing to even more uncertainty for drivers.
What, if anything, is in store for drivers once an election comes? Parties will vie to attract as many votes from the UK’s 42 million driving licence holders as possible. But what have they actually promised?
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Rishi Sunak will be hoping to attract as many votes from drivers as possible
PA
Conservatives
The Tories have done a fine job in advertising their Plan for Drivers – a manifesto of 30 different pledges to cut costs and make life easier for motorists, with some factors having already been introduced.
A consultation has been launched to see whether motorcycles can use bus lanes, more money has been given to repair roads and fill in potholes, and the Government has challenged councils overcharging drivers for moving traffic fines.
It has also pledged to introduce better parking technology through the National Parking Platform, roll out noise cameras to crack down on vehicles with loud engines and myth-bust concerns around electric vehicles.
The fuel duty freeze was extended in March
PA
The Spring Statement in March was headlined by the continuation of the fuel duty freeze, which Jeremy Hunt said would save drivers around £50 over the next 12 months by not letting it rise in line with inflation.
This was welcomed by many drivers and members of the automotive industry, although some argued the Chancellor could have gone further by cutting the rate beyond five pence per litre to further bring down costs.
Despite measures to bring down fuel costs being introduced, some are unimpressed with the speed at which a price checker is being launched and whether it will have the desired effect by slashing costs and promoting competition among forecourts and supermarkets.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the measures being introduced would prove to drivers that the Government is listening to concerns and addressing them to make motoring easier for Britons.
Labour
The opposition has been slightly more subdued in its aims to help drivers, criticising the Government’s plans and calling for the money to be spent elsewhere or slamming proposals for controversial topics.
Responding to the Budget last month, Labour leader Keir Starmer clarified that the party backed the fuel duty measures, adding that Rishi Sunak’s “fondness” for Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk had led to a lack of fact-checking.
Starmer continued, saying: “I will say this bit slowly. Labour supports the fuel duty freeze. That is our policy. And I look forward to the Prime Minister’s acknowledgement of that in [the] coming days.
Many parties have pledged to reduce delays from roadworks
PA
“We do ask the Chancellor to set out how he will make sure that this policy gets passed on to hard-pressed families at the pump?”
On a larger scale, Labour has vowed to row back a September 2023 announcement from the Government to delay the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030 to 2035, citing concerns from drivers and high costs.
Speaking at the time, shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said Labour would reinstate the original 2030 deadline to provide the car manufacturing industry with “certainty” after a number of brands lamented the impact it would have on their production schedules.
Louise Haigh, shadow transport minister also said Labour would crack down on “unfair car insurance costs”, in addition to providing further funding to infrastructure, reducing traffic on roads and boosting the rollout of public electric vehicle charging points.
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Other political parties have also set out ideas to get drivers on their side ahead of the anticipated election later this year.
In the draft version of its “contract to Britons”, Reform UK has pledged to end the war on motorists within the first 100 days. This will reportedly legislate to ban all Low Emission Zones and low traffic neighbourhoods, scrap the ban on petrol and diesel vehicles, and scrap legal requirements for manufacturers to sell electric cars.
The Green Party plans to cancel £27billion worth of national road building schemes and focus on public transport funding. The “One Pound Fare To Take You There” plan would launch a £1 single fare on all local bus routes and guarantee free travel for all Britons under the age of 22.
Ed Davey’s Liberal Democrats will encourage drivers to switch to electric vehicles thanks to greater provisions for EV chargers, slashing VAT on electric vehicles to just five per cent and requiring all new cars and small vans sold from 2030 onwards to produce zero emissions.
Low Emission Zones could be a hot topic for parties in the lead-up to the election
PA
Drivers will have plenty of time to decide on who to vote for ahead of the general election, with motoring matters sure to have an impact on which party gains power.
Larger matters will be the priority for Britons, including taxes, pensions and housing schemes. However, with the cost of motoring continuing to spiral, it could be a real vote-clincher for the major political parties.
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
