Low-traffic neighbourhood projects should be looked at again because there are "huge" cost-of-living pressures, the energy minister has said.
Andrew Bowie made the comment as the Government appeared to be increasingly siding with motorists at the possible expense of tackling climate change and toxic air.
It comes after the Conservatives kept hold of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Boris Johnson’s former seat, in a by-election earlier this month, in a win attributed by Labour and some Conservatives to anger over London mayor Sadiq Khan’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) scheme.
Rishi Sunak said on Monday morning that the Government was still planning to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, in remarks which were clearer than some of his previous comments on the matter.
Speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Mr Bowie said: "The Prime Minister has been quite clear we are committed to the 2030 target for the phasing out of new petrol or diesel cars, the sale of that.
"That doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to drive a petrol diesel car post-2030 but the sale of petrol-diesel cars, we are hoping that our aim is that we will see start from 2030.
"We remain committed to that target. We remain committed to ensuring that more people get access to, are able to buy, are able to drive electric and hybrid cars.”
He continued: "That is the aim of this Government and we remain committed to that but we also recognise there are huge cost-of-living pressures on the people in Britain right now which is why we must do more to support those people and which is why we think that where they are not working or where there is not local support low-traffic neighbourhood projects should be looked at again."
But a motoring journalist branded Mr Sunak's review of low-traffic neighbourhood schemes as "electioneering".
Former Top Gear presenter Steve Berry told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday that the Prime Minister saw the issue as a "vote winner" and was "cosying up" to drivers.
Mr Sunak ordered a review of the rollout of low-traffic neighbourhoods on Sunday.
Mr Berry told the radio programme the zones were "very unpopular" with people who live outside of them and that they made him "massively annoyed".
He added: "It is just electioneering. Low-traffic neighbourhoods are implemented by local councils. Rishi Sunak is saying, 'let's have an investigating into this' (but) it's nothing to do with this.
"It is implemented by local councils - so why is he even chirping up about it?
"It's a vote winner: 'let's cosy up to the motorist'. There are 35 million drivers in the UK. That's a lot of votes."
