Prime Minister Andy Burnham has described Britain as a "tinderbox" and announced emergency measures to tackle wildfires, as his government separately considers reducing an important electric-vehicle sales target.
The Government has sent an emergency alert to mobile phones across England and Wales, temporarily prohibited the sale of disposable barbecues and deployed military personnel to assist the response in South Wales.
At the same time, ministers have opened a ten-week consultation on the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate. Options under consideration include reducing the proportion of new cars that manufacturers must sell as fully zero-emission vehicles by 2030 from the existing 80% requirement.
No decision to reduce the target has yet been made.
Government expands wildfire response
The emergency measures were announced following prolonged hot and dry conditions and a series of serious fires across the country.
The Government said around 100 Armed Forces personnel had been deployed immediately in South Wales to support response and recovery work, with a further 100 due to deploy. Emergency funding was also announced for fire and rescue services facing the greatest operational pressure.
A temporary ban on the sale of disposable barbecues applies to retailers both in stores and online. Government guidance said the products could not be regarded as safe under the prevailing weather and environmental conditions.
Burnham urged the public not to take risks with barbecues, campfires, fireworks or discarded cigarettes during what he described as "tinderbox" conditions.
EV mandate placed under review
On the same day, the Department for Transport launched a review of the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate, which requires manufacturers to ensure that an increasing proportion of their new-car sales are zero-emission vehicles.
The existing trajectory requires 33% of manufacturers' new-car sales to be zero-emission vehicles in 2026, increasing to 80% in 2030 and 100% in 2035.
The consultation includes four broad approaches. One would retain the existing sales trajectory while offering manufacturers additional flexibility. Three others would change the annual targets, with the 2030 requirement potentially falling as low as 50%.
The Government says it remains committed to ending sales of new cars powered solely by petrol or diesel in 2030 and requiring all new cars and vans to be fully zero emission by 2035.
Ministers cite jobs and economic pressures
The Government says the review is intended to ensure that the transition remains compatible with automotive investment, employment and international competitiveness.
Ministers have pointed to supply-chain disruption, tariff uncertainty and difficult global trading conditions. The motor industry has welcomed the review, arguing that the mandate was designed under different economic circumstances and must remain commercially sustainable.
More than one in four new cars sold in July was electric, according to the Government, while electric-car sales were 45% higher than in July 2025. Ministers say £7.5 billion is being invested in vehicle grants, manufacturing and charging infrastructure.
Critics accuse Government of mixed signals
Environmental campaigners and some Labour politicians have criticised the timing of the review, arguing that weakening the 2030 target would conflict with the urgency conveyed by Burnham's warnings about extreme heat and wildfires.
That alleged contradiction is a political judgement rather than an established fact. The wildfire measures address an immediate emergency, while the vehicle consultation concerns the speed and design of a longer-term transition.
However, road transport is a major source of UK greenhouse-gas emissions, and a lower zero-emission sales requirement could allow a greater proportion of hybrid vehicles to be sold during the remainder of the decade.
The Government's final position will not be known until it has considered responses to the consultation, which closes at 11.59pm on 23 October 2026.