Imagine you are a keen Brexiteer and opponent of net zero plans, especially of the idea of being forced to buy an electric vehicle (EV). There are plenty of people like you; there is much evidence to suggest that the two things go together. But you must now be feeling a little confused. It must be dawning on you that, in terms of your freedom to buy the vehicle that you want, you would have been better off had Britain remained in the EU. Europe has just made the decision to relax the ban on petrol vehicles from 2035 to 2040 – while in Britain it is still planned to take effect from 2030.

It is not hard to see why the EU has changed its mind. For one thing, the market for EVs has not just stalled; it has started to roll backwards. According to the European Environment Agency, pure electric cars made up 21.6 per cent of the market in 2022, rising slightly to 22.5 per cent in 2023 but then falling back to 20.9 per cent last year. And this is in spite of numerous incentives.........

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