“So now there’s a group of us, (food writer) Giles Coren, David, me, one or two other people, and we meet for lunch every so often. Everybody has different Gleason scores, and everybody has different Stockholm and PSA scores. We all compare notes and I actually get muddled with what mine were.

The UK government is preparing to water down its electric vehicle sales targets. Under the existing zero emission vehicles (ZEV) mandate, 80% of all new cars sold in Britain needed to be electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030.

Following sustained lobbying from car manufacturers and trade unions, that figure could be revised down to somewhere between 50% and 70%.

While this shift may be described as a pragmatic response to market realities, the rationale for altering EV targets deserves closer scrutiny. There are four key reasons EV targets shouldn’t be weakened.

1. Risk of repeating the industry’s past mistakes

Lobbying tends to make immediate, tangible costs (the £10 billion in discounts, potential job losses) feel more urgent than long-term benefits like minimising climate impacts. But the lobby may overstate these costs.

This framing is not always ideal. The US automobile industry lobbied for decades against tightening Corporate Average Fuel Economy (Cafe) standards meant to improve fuel efficiency, successfully keeping them weak through to the 2000s. The industry argued that consumers didn’t want fuel-efficient cars and that tighter standards would cost jobs.

As a result, US car manufacturers, such as GM and Chrysler, became dependent on fuel inefficient trucks and SUVs for profit margins. Those companies were left exposed when oil prices spiked in 2008 during the financial crisis and required government bailouts.

At the same time, Japanese manufacturers who had developed fuel-efficient vehicles under their own domestic constraints (including the 1973 oil crisis and increasing fuel prices) captured a large market share in the US and globally.

While lobbying protected American autoworkers in the short-term, it contributed to the very crisis that subsequently threatened their jobs.

When unions join manufacturers in lobbying, it becomes very difficult for politicians to not listen. The jobs argument could make it hard for the government to hold firm on its targets.

2. Uncertainty can slow investment

If targets keep shifting every few years, uncertainty can slow the transition as businesses and consumers lose confidence in the policy. This can lead to the self-fulfilling prophecy problem, which results in reduced investment in the sector and further stalling.

3. Jobs need long-term protection

The effect of the EV transition on automotive jobs is more nuanced than lobbying might suggest.

The transition will not reduce the overall scale of vehicle manufacturing. Assembly plants, logistics networks, body shops and much of the broader supply chain will continue to exist.

New employment opportunities from battery cell production, charging infrastructure installation and maintenance, grid upgrades and EV software engineering will also increase. Investments in initiatives such as gigafactories that mass produce EV batteries have already created new jobs.

However, workers making specific internal combustion engine components, such as exhausts, gearboxes, fuel injection systems and other parts that EVs do not use, face real displacement risk. That deserves serious attention to ensure a just transition – that is, the process of moving to a low-carbon society that is green, sustainable and socially inclusive.

To protect these jobs, the government and manufacturers need to fund retraining, invest in future skills and support workers through this phase of change. In Germany, unions have negotiated transition funds for workers in legacy auto parts.

Policies aimed at increasing demand for EVs, such as creating a more extensive and reasonably priced charging infrastructure, can give manufacturers economies of scale, bringing prices of EVs down over time. And the positive feedback loop can further accelerate demand and create new employment.

4. Fear of losing UK export edge

Nearly eight of the ten cars produced in the UK are exported to 140 countries. If UK manufacturers and workers fall behind on EV capability because of the slowdown in momentum, they risk losing export markets to competitors.

China now produces highly competitive EVs at scale, and European manufacturers are increasingly producing efficient, long-range EVs. To maintain a competitive advantage, car makers in Britain need to continue investing in skilled workers specialising in technologies such as batteries.

British car manufacturers are asking the government to rethink the ZEV mandate because EV residual values have been volatile. This has made the used market uncertain and dampened enthusiasm for new purchases. Plus, the charging network remains unreliable and EV buyers still suffer from range anxiety (concerns that EVs don’t go far enough on a single charge).

But if paired with solid investment, these are problems that a well-supported mandate could help solve. A target reduction from 80% to 50% or 60% takes pressure off the government and manufacturers to address those issues. And delaying the green transport transition just moves costs from firms and their shareholders to workers and the public.

Health benefits of sardines

1. They’re rich in omega-3 fats for heart and brain health

2. They’re also a great source of protein

3. They’re packed with bone-supporting nutrients

How often should we eat them to maximise on these health benefits?

Sardine alternatives

Criminal Record has brought together a round-up of today’s biggest crime stories.

Every day on Criminal Record we will be bringing you a round-up of the biggest crime stories of the day.

If you love to read about crime in Scotland – this is the place to be every day.

Here’s what has been making the news across the country on Saturday.

Five injured in ‘knifeman’ rampage

Five men were injured in Edinburgh after a man allegedly wielding a knife rampaged through the streets.

Police received multiple calls from terrified members of the public about violent attacks, threats, robbery and vandalism across the west of Edinburgh and Leith on Friday, June 19.

Two men were found injured in the Sighthill area of Edinburgh at 8.50pm. The Record understands they were attacked near Broomhill Mosque.

READ MORE: Five injured after man ‘wielding knife’ rampaged through Edinburgh

TRNSMT arrests

Four teenagers were among six men arrested on the opening day of the TRNSMT festival. Police Scotland confirmed that the men, aged between 16 and 42, had been arrested in connection with separate incidents at Glasgow Green.

Artists including Nile Rodgers, Becky Hill and headliner Richard Ashcroft took to the stage as the eighth edition of the festival officially got under way on Friday, June 19.

A party atmosphere was enjoyed for much of the music festival’s first day yesterday but it was soured by a number of incidents including a mass which involved 40 to 50 people.

READ MORE: Six arrested on TRNSMT day one as teens nicked over assaults and drugs offences

Car torched in gang war

Chilling footage has captured the moment two thugs torched a car after it was used in a ram-raid in Glasgow.

The car crashed into the living room window of the house on Garvel Crescent in Glasgow in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The property is understood to be occupied by people linked to two brothers, Andrew, 32, and James Quinn, 27, accused of plotting murder bids as part of a bloody turf war raging across Scotland.

READ MORE: Chilling footage captures moment gangland hoods torch ram-raid car outside Glasgow home

E-bike hit and run

Nicky Campbell’s daughter was rushed to hospital after being struck by an e-bike.

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The BBC broadcaster said Lilla, 26, was with her sisters in the Peckham area of London when the incident unfolded on Friday night.

Taking to Instagram, he said: “‘It’s been a long and emotional night. My daughter Lilla was hit by an e-bike hit-and-run last night in Peckham – hopefully there is CCTV.”

Lilla was taken to A&E at King’s College Hospital for treatment.

READ MORE: BBC star Nicky Campbell’s daughter ‘badly injured’ in e-bike hit and run

Cruise worker dies

A cruise ship worker has died after falling from a ship in the Sound of Mull near Oban. The male worker fell from the Hebridean Princess on Tuesday evening.

The Oban Coastguard Rescue Team were called out to the water at 8pm. It is understood that 38 people were on board the ship at the time.

Hebridean Island Cruises, which operates the ship, said its thoughts were with the crew member’s family, friends and colleagues.

They said an immediate response was initiated on board the ship, and HM Coastguard and Police Scotland were notified.

READ MORE: Cruise worker dies after falling from ship near Oban

Get Daily Record Premium for just £1 per month in exclusive offer to celebrate the world cup. Click HERE.

Holly Ramsay has publicly shared that she is pregnant with her first child with her new husband, Adam Peaty.

Holly, 26, daughter of restaurant mogul Gordon Ramsay, and Olympic gold medal swimmer Adam Peaty, tied the knot at the end of December last year in a star-studded wedding attended by the Beckhams and stars like Sara Davies and Marcus Wareing.

Adam’s family, bar his sister Bethany, were notably absent from the festivities after revealing they were uninvited from the big day, a situation Adam has only addressed once on social media.

Six months into marriage, it looks like the newlyweds are excited to start growing their family.

In a new post to social media, Holly shared a picture of her and Adam lovingly looking into one another’s eyes with her bump on full display. She also confirmed they are expecting a daughter.

The caption reads: ‘Baby Ramsay-Peaty coming December 2026. We can’t wait to meet our baby girl .’

When the news broke this week that under 16s would be banned from social media sites like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, children were in uproar.

When one Lancashire schoolgirl was asked what she would do without her social accounts, her deadpan response went viral.

‘Stare at a wall,’ she said, her face solemn.

Many argued this reaction was exactly why the ban was needed, because of the addicting nature of social media algorithms.

Of course, this ban won’t be implemented until spring 2027, so as a parent, how do you tell if your child is truly addicted to their phone, or they’re simply annoyed they’ve been banned from a global network?

Nick Dunkley, 47, an operations manager for UK Addiction Treatment (UKAT), the biggest private addiction treatment provider in the country has been seeing an increasing number of under-18 year olds accessing treatment to combat their reliance on social media.

How to spot if your teen has a social media addiction

Your child’s love for their phone and social media accounts becomes an addiction when they experience an overwhelming urge to take part in it again and again, even when it’s causing them harm, according to UKAT.

This urge isn’t a simple craving, like the urge to eat chocolate, an addiction can leave those struggling unable to function without the behaviour.

It’s little wonder this has happened when Nick says ‘these short, sharp videos are made of instant dopamine, [they’re] flicking through and not absorbing anything’.

So, how can you check if this applies to your child? ‘To see the acute symptoms, just try to take a phone off a 15-year-old,’ Nick explains.

Once you’ve done this, keep an eye out for these signs. ‘It’s the lack of eye contact, struggling to engage in face to face conversations, physical agitation and their eyes darting to where their phones are,’ he adds.

‘These might be written off as teenager behaviour, but it becomes pronounced.’

Even when your teen or child does have their phone or tablet, there are other behaviours to look out for. Nick explains you’ll notice a lack of sleep from doom-scrolling, your child might have persistent headaches and maybe even worsening eyesight.

It could also result in a ‘decreased attention span and IQ’, according to the expert.

Children can become so desperate that when they attend UKAT’s rehab for social media addictions, they sneak in second phones or refuse to surrender their devices.

Many will also do anything they can to avoid attending in the first place.

The one thing parents shouldn’t do when the ban comes in

Once all under 16s are banned by spring 2027 and under 18s have had their curfews implemented, parents should expect there to be some teething problems.

He says withdrawals are to be expected. If you’re child is struggling with the ban you’ll see mood changes, and they may be more agitated and argumentative, but parents and schools should support young people through this.

‘I’m hopeful,’ Nick says. ‘Give it six months or a year, and it won’t be this massive impact on the youth – they’ll bounce back.

‘We’re not depriving them now – we already did, now we’re trying to give them their childhood back.’

He suggests the biggest threat to the ban’s success will be parents bending the rules to allow their children access when they shouldn’t have it.

But, ultimately, parents should use this ban to empower themselves.

‘We know the harm social media does for children – now this ban enables parents and schools to say no without the peer pressure,’ Nick explains.

‘I know what I’d rather my child be doing rather than living in a world that doesn’t exist, and aspiring to things they can never reach.’

Confidential help, information and support with social media addiction is available on UKAT’s website.

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MORE: Should social media be banned for adults, too? Readers discuss

MORE: Graham Norton forces Meta to reveal identity of troll posting ‘deeply upsetting’ abuse