Motorist 'demonised' by ministers in drive to cut pollution, says top government advisor

13 April 2012

Labour faces being kicked out of office by angry motorists if it continues to 'unfairly demonise' the car, a top Government adviser warned today.

Families are 'rebelling' against unfair car taxes, restrictions on their freedoms, and  attacks on 4X4s and luxury cars by politicians and campaigners driven by 'ideological dogma' rather than hard-facts, Richard Parry-Jones claimed.

Mr Parry-Jones was appointed by the government to look at how technology can be used to cut pollution.

4x4 vehicles, like this Freelander 2 being unveiled by tennis star Maria Sharapova, have been unfairly demonised according to Parry-Jones

4x4 vehicles, like this Freelander 2 being unveiled by tennis star Maria Sharapova, have been unfairly demonised according to Parry-Jones

But the former Ford Motor Company executive turned on his new employers yesterday urging them to stop the war on the motorist.
Unfair  motoring taxes and attacks of family runarounds were the result of 'muddled thinking' based on prejudice and dogma  rather than hard scientific  facts, he said.

'If you price consumers out of their  cars, they will probably throw you out at the next election,' he said.

He added that Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his ministers must 're-assess the political bias against cars'.

He accepted that cars did have some impact on climate change  - but pointed out that they represented only 8per cent of the problem while appearing to get 100 per cent of the blame. Tax raised from motorists and motoring was 'disproportionately high', he said.

Mr Parry-Jones is a world-renowned motor industry expert who has just been appointed as a ministerial adviser to John Hutton's Department for Business.

He is chairing Mr Hutton's  Automotive Industry Growth  Team, looking at how to create 'greener' cars  and cut costs.

His speech follows a visit this week by Mr Brown, Mr Hutton, and Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly to the British International Motor Show in London's Docklands where the PM met motor industry bosses to discuss 'green' cars.

Mr Parry-Jones recently retired as chief technical officer  and head of research at Ford.

He said politicians must carry the confidence of Britain's 30 million voting motorists if they want achieve or maintain office:''If politicians go too fast, ultimately they  get detached from the  electorate and get thrown out.'

He noted:'What on Earth are we doing  allowing our elected representatives to decide for us what we should be allowed or encouraged ton drive, or what should be banned or penalised in the name of climate change.'

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