War on motorists to become 'next big rebellion' as GB News poll exposes attitudes to eco policies

British motorists have become increasingly subject to more charges in recent years with the aim of reducing pollution such as the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez), which charges motorists a daily fee for using a non-compliant vehicle within the area.

According to pollster Matt Goodwin, Sunak watering down the plan will be a popular decision, evidenced by a GB News poll that found almost half of Britons are concerned about environment taxes on motorists.

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From a sample size of 1,948, only seven per cent were found to believe that the Government is ‘on the side of motorists’.

Almost half of those surveyed - 47 per cent, are of the belief that environmental taxes have ‘gone too far’.

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According to Goodwin, Sunak’s eco policies with regards to motorists will become a key battleground in the British political sphere.

He told Nigel Farage: “among the key groups of voters for Sunak, this policy is very popular.

“Among all voters across the country, 50 per cent are opposed to banning petrol and diesel cars by 2030, only a third of them support it.

“Looking at these key groups that Sunak has to win back, 63 per cent among Brexiteers, 63 per cent among Boris Johnson’s 2019 voters, 64 per cent among the working class.

“Middle class professionals support it, workers oppose it, and crucially, pretty much everybody over the age of 50, key Conservative voters, really don’t like some of this net zero stuff.

“If he is to stand any chance of winning the next general election, appealing to those key groups are what he has to do and he’s going to like this stuff.”

Nigel Farage commented that he has “not seen such local anger” over the issue of Ulez, after Sadiq Khan opted to expand the area in August, making it the world’s largest emission zone area.

Goodwin commented that a great deal of those surveyed believe environmental penalties have “gone too far”.

“Only about one in five people in the country think they’re about right”, he said.

“I’ve written extensively about why I think this issue is going to become one of the next big rebellions in British politics.

“What you’re seeing is a more affluent cultural class advocating lots of these policies, but many workers, pensioners, squeezed voters can’t make sense of it.”

Sunak’s move has not gone down with overwhelming support from the motoring industry, with Ian Plummer, the commercial director at Auto Trader, accusing the PM of leaving the sector “high and dry”.

“According to our research, only half of people could see how an EV (electric vehicle) could fit into their lifestyle as it is, suggesting major barriers to adoption”, he said.

“We should be positively addressing concerns over affordability and charging rather than planting seeds of doubt.

“This announcement has only served to remove trust and confidence in the UK market.”