Can Rishi Sunak rev up Tory election hopes by going after the ‘Top Gear’ vote?

After his Uxbridge by-election upset, the prime minister is expected to woo motorists, says Sean O’Grady. But will it gain any political traction?

Rishi Sunak’s last effort to impress motorists backfired ( )

If Rishi Sunak cannot win the next election on the main battleground of the economy, he seems confident that a series of political guerrilla raids on opposition policies will help him to harass the opposition, and push them into defending seemingly unpopular positions.

This tactic appeared to enjoy some success at the Uxbridge by-election and was recently supplemented by the high-profile relaxation of the electric car rollout and slowing the move from oil and gas boilers.

Now, Sunak is said to be after the motorist vote, with some eye-catching initiatives at the Tory conference: controls on councils’ power to impose 20mph speed limits; reducing the number of hours a day that car traffic is banned from bus lanes; easier challenges for parking fines; and, naturally, some hostility to ultra-low-emission zones and congestion charging. Potholes have also suddenly become a policy focus.