Environment secretary Michael Gove is expected to announce plans to stop the sales of tradition petrol and diesel vehicles over the next few years in a bid to push Britons to buy electric or hybrid cars and will include new pollution taxes for drivers of diesel cars in Britain's most polluted areas. Enviroment minister Michael Gove is due to present the government’s keenly-awaited £3 billion (RM16.8 billion) air pollution plan, which is expected to demand that councils propose measures by March next year to reduce nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels, according to British media reports. The ban on petrol and diesel cars as well as vans follows a similar proposal by the French government, and will also include hybrid vehicles that have an electric motor and a petrol or diesel engine. Ford 'may be able to support' electric target

Instead of pollution taxes, councils will be urged to improve the flow of traffic with measures such as removing speed humps to prevent cars repeatedly slowing down and speeding up, which almost doubles the amount of harmful gases they pump out. “Diesel drivers are not to blame and, to help them switch to cleaner vehicles, the Government will consult on a targeted scrappage scheme, one of a number of measures to support motorists affected by local plans.”

Environmental law firm ClientEarth took the Government to court over its clean air strategy.
Following a similar move in France, the United Kingdom is to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040 in order to reduce air pollution. A new tax will also be levied on diesel car drivers in 2020.