LONDON, Sept 20 (Reuters) – The chair of Ford UK said Britain risked undermining the country’s transition to electric vehicles (EV) if the government relaxes its current target to ban new petrol and diesel car sales by 2030.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is this week expected to delay some of the government policies which underpin Britain’s long-term plan to reach net zero emissions by 2050, including pushing back to 2035 the non-electric car ban.

Ford said dropping the 2030 deadline would be a mistake, and hinted it could put further investments at risk.

“The UK 2030 target is a vital catalyst to accelerate Ford into a cleaner future,” Ford UK chair Lisa Brankin said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Our business needs three things from the UK government: ambition, commitment and consistency. A relaxation of 2030 would undermine all three.”

Ford said it had already invested 430 million pounds ($531 million)in its UK facilities and had been planning further investments to fit with the 2030 timeline.

“We need the policy focus trained on bolstering the EV market in the short term and supporting consumers while headwinds are strong: infrastructure remains immature, tariffs loom and cost-of-living is high,” Brankin added.

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