Feb 8 (IANS): 'Mr Bean' actor Rowan Atkinson has been blamed for the slump in the sale of electric cars in the UK. The actor was name checked in the House of Lords, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, recently during its environment and climate change committee meeting.

During the meeting, the think tank Green Alliance presented its views on the main obstacles faced by the UK government in phasing out petrol and diesel cars by 2035.

As per Sky News, the think tank pinned the blame on an article written by the actor and deemed it as damaging to the cause.

The actor had made the contentious comment back in June 2023.

The think tank told the House of Lords, quoted by Sky New: “One of the most damaging articles was a comment piece written by Rowan Atkinson in The Guardian which has been roundly debunked. Unfortunately, fact checks never reach the same breadth of audience as the original false claim, emphasising the need to ensure high editorial standards around the net zero transition.”

The actor's piece was headlined: "I love electric vehicles - and was an early adopter. But increasingly I feel duped,” he wrote that EVs were "a bit soulless" and criticised the use of their lithium-ion batteries.