The UK has only 15% of the charging points it needs to meet net zero, new analysis published by the Labour Party finds.

Labour said more than 127,000 new public charge points must be installed by 2025 to meet the 150,000 target from the Climate Change Committee

Warning that patchy access to charge points across the country – and the upfront price of vehicles – will create a ‘two-tier transport Britain’, Labour explored the 2021 progress reports published last week by the Climate Change Committee.

In the reports, the Government’s own eco advisors said there needs to be around 150,000 public charge points operating in our country by 2025 and these should be “widely available across the UK”.

But Labour warns that the Government is currently trailing way behind at only 22,790 public charging points – meaning more than 127,000 must be installed in just the next few years.

Labour also highlighted a serious disparity in where charge points are actually located, citing offiicial figures show you are currently four times more likely to find a charging point in London than in Yorkshire.

And Labour called out the recent cuts to the Plug-in Car Grants, which bring reduced funding for drivers making the shift to electric vehicles, and warned of a gulf emerging between those who can access the benefits of the transition to electric vehicles and those who will be locked out.

Speaking ahead of an address to the SMMT conference, Ed Miliband MP, Labour’s Shadow Business Secretary, commented: “The Government’s failure to roll out charging points across the country and the decision to cut the plug-in grant risks baking in unfairness in our country as we move towards a zero-emission future.

“For the minicab driver who relies on their car for work and is thinking the price of an electric car is simply out of their reach. For the commuter who relies on their car but is also worried about being priced out. For those in rural areas, the Midlands and the North where you may not be able to access a charging point.

“Government needs to step up and support new gigafactories, provide the means for consumers on lower- and middle-incomes to afford electric vehicles and ensure the charging points are there throughout our country.”

Labour’s plan would support people across the country to make the switch to electricity by offering long-term interest-free loans for new and used electric vehicles to those on low to middle incomes and trialling a national scrappage scheme.

It would also accelerate the roll-out of charging points on streets, targeting areas left out such as Yorkshire, the North West and the West Midlands, and would also treat the delivery of charge points as a national infrastructure project, led by central government through the National Infrastructure Bank and working with local authorities.

The party would also introduce an industrial strategy for the UK’s car manufacturing industry, including part-financing the creation of three new, additional gigafactories by 2025.

Commenting on Labour’s analysis, Edmund King, AA president, said: “To speed up the electric vehicle revolution there is a longstanding debate as to what comes first; the cars or the charge points?

“The reality is we need both to happen at the same time, with particular focus on the 30-40% of homeowners who have no access to dedicated off-street parking.

“As well as making vehicles more affordable and increasing the number of public charge points, we need to ensure the cost of charging remains competitive. Drivers will switch to electric cars with incentives and provided recharging costs remain cheaper than filling up with petrol or diesel.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “The UK has over 23,800 public charging points including 4,450 rapid devices, one of the largest networks of rapids in Europe.

“We are working closely with local authorities to rollout the electric vehicle revolution, with £1.3 billion investment for electric vehicle infrastructure which will support drivers across the country.”