The UK is reportedly considering delaying its ban of ICE cars

As it stands, every car sold new in the United Kingdom will need to have zero local emissions starting in 2030. Government officials set this ambitious target in 2020, but several British media outlets are reporting that the prime minister's office is likely to delay that date to 2035.

While the move hasn't been confirmed yet, the BBC writes that delaying the ban on new combustion-powered cars by five years is one of about seven policy changes that prime minister Rishi Sunak will announce in the coming days. The plan to phase out gas-powered boilers by 2035 is expected to get partially rolled back as well, according to the same report, and Sunak will reassure United Kingdom citizens that his government won't approve new taxes to discourage flying, pass laws to change people's diets, or take measures to encourage carpooling.

"For too many years, politicians in governments of all stripes have not been honest about costs and trade-offs. Instead, they have taken the easy way out, saying we can have it all. This realism doesn't mean losing our ambition or abandoning our commitments," Sunak said.

Some of the carmakers that have spent a significant amount of money to comply with the government's demands criticized the report.