UK General Election 2024 Reaction
Throughout the next few days, Garage Talk Online, will be bringing you the latest reaction to the historic 2024 UK General Election on this post, stay tuned and keep checking back.
Alasdair Hobbs, of Human Results in Telford, said: “Labour claim our employment laws to be outdated for the modern economy and promise a new deal for working people.
“It’s a big statement to make, but in practical terms they are promising, amongst other things, to ban what they consider to be any ‘exploitative’ zero hours contracts; the removal of the two-year rule for the acquiring of a right not to be unfairly dismissed; and further increases of minimum wage rates - funded of course by employers.
“Day one rights not to be unfairly dismissed will certainly have an immediate impact on working practices and lead to some increased cost for employers.
“The new Labour Government is unlikely to go as far as outlawing contractual probationary periods, but the need to document a well-implemented induction and probationary review period will be all the more critical, and many smaller employers will be put off from taking recruitment decisions lightly.
“Oh, and Labour promise they will bring legislation in within the first 100 days - I think employment lawyers like me will be busy these next few years.”
Kevan Wooden, CEO at LKQ UK & Ireland, said: “We look forward to a new government bringing a fresh policy perspective in the interest of delivering a sustainable, prosperous future for the independent aftermarket.
“Starmer’s plans to restore the 2030 phase-out date for new cars with internal combustion engines (ICE) will have the most immediate impact on the industry. Some in the aftermarket had delayed investment plans for retooling and reskilling, but it will now be imperative for garages to kickstart their transition as to not miss out on electric vehicle (EV) custom.
“Labour's plans to retain the full expensing tax incentive will help to reduce the cost of new equipment for garages. But Starmer's government could go one step further by including learning and development within full expensing too. Incentivising training will be important to help meet the 2030 deadline, with only 11% of UK mechanics currently qualified to work on EVs.
“The industry will want to learn how the EV skills gap can be plugged through Labour’s proposed body Skills England. A blend of automotive skills strategy and private training will be key to meeting the aftermarket’s future talent needs, and we’re well underway expanding the LKQ Academy to support this.
“The introduction of a standardised battery health certification scheme for used vehicles under Labour could also represent a new income opportunity for garages, incentivising them further to upskill and retool for servicing plug-in vehicles sooner rather than later. Garages and workshops will eagerly anticipate more details on the scheme.
“With a new government, we’ll continue to represent the interests of independent repairers as we help to inform and shape policy alongside our peers in the industry. This will include continued campaigning for fair, shared and secure access to the latest software and access codes – to ensure our customers can complete every job that comes in to the workshop safely and to a high standard. Doing so is key to protecting the 350,000 livelihoods the aftermarket supports, and ultimately to consumers’ ability to choose where they take their vehicles for great quality, great value, local service, maintenance and repair work.”
Asif Ghafoor, CEO of Be.EV, commented: “Labour should introduce a simple mandate that compels every local authority to open up 50% of their land for private companies to install EV chargers. They don’t have the capital or expertise to do it themselves. We don’t want any more rules or changes - that’s a headache for everyone. What we really need is continuity and certainty. This will really help charging networks to expand.
“There needs to be some encouragement to drivers, and we have a few options here. We could reduce the power cost for those who switch and get rid of the VAT on public EV charging costs. Norway is a good example. They gave free exemptions to the toll for EV drivers and gave free local authority parking as well. These aren’t expensive and they went a long way in creating a more positive feel about EVs.
“We have an opportunity to be world leaders in EV chargers. We have the expertise and capital to do it, and if we do it successfully, we can export this to other countries, creating jobs and investment along the way.
“Every time previous Governments have had a mandate to encourage green finance investment it’s ended up being a disaster. We should have less government involvement. There’s enough capital and expertise in the UK that all the Government needs to do is simplify things and let the private sector get on with it.
“The obsession with a total number of chargers being installed is unhelpful. It leads to far too many cheap lamppost chargers being installed, which are not only slow, but will become nothing more than street clutter in the next three years.
“Instead, the Government should set clear targets that each DNO needs to deliver a certain amount of power to chargers on an annual basis or they get fined! It’s simple - we need more of a focus on installing faster chargers and put the pressure on DNOs to get them to speed up the transition.
“Instead, they should have targets for chargers in their area to provide a certain amount of power to encourage more useful chargers. If they don’t meet these targets they should be fined. The LEVI fund has been a complete waste of time and needs to be scrapped. It means local authorities spend a lot of time faffing around unnecessarily for very little progress.
“Finally - bring the 2035 ban back to 2030. It’s an achievable goal that won’t cost the Government a lot, but will be a huge psychological boost that will get people feeling good about EVs again.”
Iain Reid, head of editorial at Carwow, said: “We recently conducted a survey which showed that four in ten drivers want the new government to launch more incentives to reduce the upfront purchase price of EVs, and a similar number want more grants for home charger installation. Our survey also showed that a third want to see lower VAT on public electric charging - currently subject to 20% VAT - and a fifth of motorists would welcome a minimum safety and accessibility standard at public charging stations.
“Electrification is the future, and while accelerating the rollout of public charging infrastructure is critical, there are more factors to consider if EVs are to be accessible and appealing at a mass market level.” he added.