By JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR
Kemi Badenoch rocked a very high pair of heels today as she tried out racing cars at Brands Hatch.
The Tory leader donned overalls with her striking footwear as she was shown around the Kent site.
However, she did later switch to a pair of trainers as she climbed into the driving seat of a Formula 4 car.
Mrs Badenoch's visit came as she called for the 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles to be scrapped.
The EU is thought to be ditching its equivalent policy, heaping pressure on Labour to follow suit.
The Tory leader also said she would slash subsidies for the electric sector to save the taxpayer £3.8billion over the next decade.
That would include thousands of pounds in grants for purchasing EVs along with funding for non-research and development programmes.
Kemi Badenoch rocked a very high pair of heels today as she tried out racing cars at Brands Hatch
The Tory leader did later switch to a pair of trainers as she climbed into the driving seat of a Formula 4 car
To reverse the 2030 petrol car ban, Mrs Badenoch intends to scrap the 'destructive' Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate.
Under the law, car manufacturers must meet rapidly increasing quotas for sales of electric vehicles (EVs), which will eventually rise to 100 per cent. This means fully petrol and diesel-powered cars will be banned from 2030.
But industry figures have privately raised concerns that demand from the public for EVs is not strong enough to meet the quotas.
Mrs Badenoch said: 'Labour's rush to Net Zero is having a disastrous effect on the UK car industry. The Conservatives will ensure that we protect the environment, but we will do so without forcing families to bear the brunt of the costs, and forcing car makers to meet deadlines that don't reflect consumer demand.
'By scrapping the ZEV mandate and the ban on petrol cars we are putting fairness and common sense back into the system and saving money for taxpayers.'
Mrs Badenoch made the commitment after a meeting with Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, who has been urging the EU to scrap its own ban.
Government ministers will now come under pressure to change course, with Brussels expected to announce this week that it is ditching its ban from 2035. The Tory leader said: 'The reality is that the EU's change of heart on EVs will leave Labour even more isolated, and by pressing ahead alone, we are placing our domestic industry at a disadvantage while giving others the opportunity to dominate global supply chains.
'The only winners in this economic self-harm are China, who have happily profited from our decision to accelerate demand for electric vehicles, without first securing our own battery and mineral supply chains.'
Ms Badenoch posed for the cameras at the famous race track today
In 2020, the then-prime minister Boris Johnson first unveiled plans for a ban on petrol and diesel cars from 2030.
Two years ago, Rishi Sunak delayed the ban on new petrol cars until 2035. But Labour reinstated the 2030 ban earlier this year, arguing that Net Zero was the 'economic opportunity of the 21st century'.
Reform UK has also said it will scrap the ban on petrol and diesel cars. Deputy leader Richard Tice has argued that doing so is the 'only way to save the UK automotive industry'.
