WATCH: White van men deliver resounding verdict on Keir Starmer’s major electric vehicle law change

One told us: "It's a big weight off our shoulders. We can carry on just working and don't need to worry about it. It's a big expense looking for a new van, so we're happy that we can keep using the same one and focus on earning money."

"We've got enough to worry about as self-employed people, you don't want that extra pressure of having to buy an electric vehicle."

A second tradesman added: "It's a big expense if we had to fork out the money for a new van, so it's nice to keep on using this one."

"We use the van every single day and money is needed for materials etc, so it's really important that we don't have to use it on something else."

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A third tradesman who managed a fleet of vans for his business concluded: "That I don't have to buy a whole new fleet of vehicles; that's the biggest thing to take away from it. To take all of our vehicles and change them to electric wouldn't be suitable for our business at all."

The government has announced it will relax electric vehicle sales targets to support the UK car industry as it faces new US trade tariffs.

The changes will give manufacturers more flexibility on meeting annual targets and reduce fines for non-compliance.

Despite these adjustments, the ban on selling new petrol and diesel cars will still come into effect in 2030 as planned.

The measures come after US President Donald Trump imposed a 25% levy on cars imported to the US, a key export market for British carmakers.

Currently, 28 per cent of new cars sold in the UK this year must be electric, with this target rising annually until 2030.

Under the new changes, manufacturers will have greater freedom in meeting yearly targets.

If companies don't sell enough electric vehicles in one year, they can compensate by selling more the following year.

The government has also reduced penalties for non-compliance.

The fine for each vehicle sold that doesn't meet the latest emissions standards will drop from £15,000 to £12,000.

The government said it had worked with UK car manufacturers to "strengthen its commitment to the phase out" while introducing "practical reforms to support industry meet this ambition".