No10 to welcome first EV family
And why the ZEV mandate review is now in limbo
Hello, I’m Tom Riley, and welcome back to The Fast Charge, a British EV newsletter.
Top story today… I share the latest on the ZEV mandate, what might happen when Burnham becomes Prime Minister, and reveal his family links to several EV businesses.
Elsewhere… Used EVs are flying off the forecourts, battery swapping is being adopted for trucks, and Guide Dogs are being trained for quiet cars.
As always, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn.
Handbrake applied to ZEV mandate review following Starmer resignation
Summary: Just over a week ago, the UK Government briefed journalists that it was going to slash the ZEV mandate trajectories in the face of opposition. While it was welcomed by manufacturers and the vocal trade union Unite, it took the wind out of the EV industry’s sails, who will yet again have to deal with the impact of lower confidence from investors and drivers.
However… Despite all the briefings behind-the-scenes in Westminster, nothing was ever published about it. I asked the Department for Transport on Friday when people could expect to see a consultation on GOV.UK. I was told it was a live issue and was instead pointed to comments made by the Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander MP, to the Transport Select Committee last week.
In a session with MPs, Heidi stated… “there is no suggestion that the 2030 or the 2035 dates will change.” However, later she confirmed bringing forward the planned ZEV mandate review, which was due in 2027, and instead getting it “completed in the next six months.” Heidi also confirmed the trajectories would be looked at, based on feedback from carmakers about how achievable they would be. She also told the Committee she’d already set out to her department the work required in the next six months, which would look at “that relative balance between the sales of pure EVs and hybrids.”
But… That was last week. And a week is a long time in politics.
Now that Starmer has resigned, leaving the door of No10 open for Andy Burnham to take on the leadership, where does that leave this consultation?
Normally… before an election, Whitehall is thrust into something called ‘purdah’ which restricts announcements that could influence said election. Whereas, when a party leader resigns – in this case, Starmer – the rules are not quite the same. There are no formal restrictions on government activity to stop.
However… what you often find is that neither ministers nor officials will move on decisions until a new leader is chosen. This seems to be the case at DfT. Their public comment on the ZEV mandate remains the same as the one from last week, which is very non-committal. Behind-the-scenes, officials are wary of providing answers on what’s going on.
Up in the air? In the Sunday Times last weekend, it became clear that Starmer’s decision to review the mandate was due to pressure from Sharon Graham, secretary of the trade union Unite, who has since been out in the press pleading for Burnham to stick with the decision. “Skills and jobs are gone for ever at the stroke of a pen. That was never the ZEV mandate’s intention. As a northwest politician, Andy understands the importance of the automotive sector to our economy and jobs.”
Sharon’s intervention… so soon after celebrating victory, suggests to me she has no guarantee Burnham will stick by Starmer’s decision.
Furthermore… Today, the government’s own Climate Change Committee has called on Whitehall “to stand firm behind the ZEV mandate and remove barriers to EV adoption.” The Chair of the CCC, Nigel Topping, commented, “The U-turns are really damaging to inward investor confidence. If we really want to grow the economy, then investing and getting good at building stuff is essential.” It follows countless letters to No10 from green groups and businesses.
And then… Mike Hawes, CEO of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, has come out swinging against the CCC. Mike commented today, “The CCC has no responsibility for employment or economic growth, government does and it cannot ignore the negative effect this market subsidisation is having on production, jobs and future investment.”
Again… Like Sharon, the fierce statement by Mike only confirms nobody knows what’s going on. Given that the earliest Burnham could be installed is 17 July, I think it’s safe to assume the mandate review has been parked up on the slip road with the hazards on.
Who will Burnham listen to on EVs when he’s PM?
His colleagues? It is very hard to tell who will have his ear on EV policy, though it does seem likely that Louise Haigh, the former transport secretary, and Jonathan Reynolds may be back in charge of departments. Media briefings suggest that Reynolds may return to Business and Trade. Meanwhile, Haigh, who was largely indifferent to personal transport, may end up elsewhere, leaving Heidi Alexander to continue in her post. Should this occur, I don’t think it’ll be good news for the mandate. Reynolds had a very close relationship with Mike Hawes of SMMT, and Alexander has already kick-started work.
However… It is likely Miliband will remain in a senior government role. And he is undoubtedly a strong advocate for clean energy and decarbonisation. It’s unknown whether he will head to the Treasury as Chancellor, as many Ministers and businesses have argued against this, though I’m sure he’ll likely be a close confidante of Burnham whatever happens. So, there could be a full battle of ideas on climate change.
As readers may recall in May… I wrote a short review of Burnham and what his accession might mean for the EV sector. I noted in that piece that many of his national policy objectives were unknown. And I think that is largely still the case.
However… I have continued to dig, and I have found that Burnham may be much closer to the EV sector than I first thought.
Introducing Marie-France van Heel (Andy’s EV wife)
Marie-France first met Andy Burnham at Cambridge University. Known as ‘Frankie’ to friends, today she is the Chief Customer Officer at Be.EV. The charging network that was founded in Manchester, backed by Octopus Energy, and is growing nationally, having only recently acquired Mer. In a recent submission to Parliament, Be.EV warned of the risks from “weakening the ZEV mandate”, declaring that, “we, along with our industry peers, urge Government to maintain the ZEV mandate without dilution”. As a member of the board since 2024, one assumes this position reflects her own.
And here’s a link you won’t get from Tatler… I’m told Marie-France’s best friend at Cambridge was none other than Ade Thomas, whose Green.TV media business collapsed last year owing taxpayers £550,000, alongside numerous allegations that he treated staff members poorly. Readers may recall that in May, I revealed that the appointed liquidator was taking action against Ade over that insolvency. At the time, Ade told me he was in conversations with them to resolve issues.
I understand Ade and Marie-France remain close. So much so that she and Andy’s son, Jimmy Burnham, spent almost a year working for Green.TV between 2021 and 2022, working as the company’s Policy and Communications Executive.
During that same period… while Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham took part in a ‘Decarbonisation Summit’ which was run by Green.TV with SSE. In a video after the session, Burnham thanks Green.TV for pulling the event together.
None of this is to suggest anything improper. I mention it to illustrate that the Burnhams are clearly a lot more linked into the EV transition than I realised. And surely this can only be positive for those in the industry. At least, one hopes that if anyone in the country is going to have Burnham’s ear on the ZEV mandate, it might be his family.
