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SLAMMING BRAKES
Rishi Sunak says he’s ending war on drivers by stopping LTN rollout chaos in big win for Sun’s Give Us A Brake campaign
RISHI Sunak told The Sun tonight: “I’m slamming the brakes on the war on motorists - it's as simple as that."
The Prime Minister attacked "hare-brained schemes" like Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and 20mph zones "forced" on Britain’s 40 million cash-strapped drivers.
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And he blasted Westminster as out of touch with how Britain really works and too focussed on talking about trains, declaring "cars are freedom for most people."
Mr Sunak said penalising motorists for going about their daily lives “doesn't reflect the values of Britain.”
Local councils in England face a clampdown on using traffic offences to boost their budgets with “over zealous” enforcement of parking and yellow-box junctions.
But charges will be hiked on utility firms who dig up roads in peak times - with the extra cash diverted to fixing potholes.
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The PM also takes aim at so-called “15 Minute Cities” to make everyday essentials bike friendly - vowing to make sure drivers are not “aggressively restricted”.
He hit out: “Politicians always want to make short term decisions, take the easy way out, without any thinking about how that is actually just going to impact ordinary people.
“There is just this relentless attack on motorists and a common misunderstanding from politicians in Westminster about the fact that most people around the country depend on their cars.
“They depend on their cars to get to work, take their kids to school, do their shopping, see the doctor.”
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In a massive win for the Sun’s Give Us A Brake crusade, the PM said it was time to invest in roads but curtail efforts to fleece drivers with heavy handed fines.
In a sit down interview in the Thatcher Room of 10 Downing Street, Mr Sunak:
- GAVE his clearest hint yet HS2 is for the chop, insisting not afraid of criticism but roads need cash
- LAUNCHED a stinging rebuke of the BBC for talking down Britain.
- UNVEILED his “Plan for Drivers” that will see greedy councils brought to heel - starting with limiting the roll out of LTNs and blanket 20mph zones.
The help for motorists comes on the eve of the annual Conservative Party conference - the PM’s first since seizing the keys to No10 last October.
Ahead of travelling to Manchester for the gathering of party faithful – by car because of train strikes – Mr Sunak said: “I've had this job for less than a year.
"I think people will see my track record as I cut fuel duty as Chancellor by a record amount. Right. That's my track record supporting motorists.
“Now that I've had this job for almost a year, you know, lots of difficult things to get to grips with the beginning - I spent the time to get under the bonnet.
"Now I am in a position where I want to set out the changes that I want to make take this country a different.”
“What we want to do now is make sure that all these hare-brained schemes forced on local communities, whether it's low traffic neighbourhoods, whether it's in blanket 20 mile an hour speed limits, all of that… need to stop.”
“What we want to make sure is that we local communities are not having these things imposed upon them, forced on them.
"We've seen that happening in Wales. That's not right. And we're going to take a different approach to this.”
He added: “You saw it with Ulez. - that’s another example of it right.
"You had a Labour Mayor, backed by Keir Starmer imposing £12.50 on families when they are just literally trying to take their kids to a football practice, right?
"That's not right. It doesn't reflect the values of Britain. And that's what I determined to put a stop to.”
And he rejected claims his latest policy blitz was a response to panicking over polls, saying he’s always been a drivers champ: “When I was Chancellor, I wanted to support people because most people use their cars to get around.
"That's why I cut and then froze fuel duty. Something the Sun rightly campaign on - and is saving people about a £100 in the last year alone.”
And he insisted he is ready to take the backlash from cyclists, environmental groups and road safety campaigners.
Pointing to last week’s delaying of the 2030 ban on petrol and diesel cars, he said: "I've got a lot of flack for that decision, yeah?”
“I'm not I'm not doing it to wind people up I'm doing it because the right thing for this country.”
“This is not about chasing polls. It's not about winding people up, this is about me doing what I believe is right for the long term of our country.”
Mr Sunak also insisted he could not remember if he had ever got a speeding fine himself, adding: "Like I probably have, but I mean in not for a very long time."
Teetotaller sweet stag
By Harry Cole, Political Editor
THE Prime Minister revealed he downed shots of sambuca on his stag weekend.
The admission came after claims he had chugged honey tequila on a wild weekend before getting married to Akshata Murthy in 2009 –– despite not being a drinker.
The suggestion was made during a comedy speech at a Westminster party on Thursday night.
Quizzed by The Sun, Rishi Sunak said: “You don’t get much choice about what you’re doing when you’re on your stag do. It was one of a range of things that I had to do.”
He added: “Because people know that I was a teetotaller, they were trying to find things that were sweet.
“I’m a teetotaller, but I like sugary things.”
Deal aided boats drop
By Harry Cole, Political Editor
RISHI Sunak insists that he did not get lucky with the weather this summer as small boat crossings fell by a fifth.
The Prime Minister pointed to a returns deal signed with Albania that has returned 2,500 people and the number coming from the eastern European country down by 90 per cent.
He says: “I’m not saying by any means your job. is done. Of course it’s not done.
“But the fact is crossings are up in Europe, but they’re down here by a fifth right so that should give people some comfort that what we’re doing is making a difference.”
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Mr Sunak also said there is no need to quit the European Convention on Human Rights — which has acted as a block to his Rwanda plan.
He added: “I’m confident that our plans are in compliance with all our international obligations.”
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