Ban on diesel and petrol cars brought forward to 2035 as PM launches UK's green strategy

The ban, which Government advisers, the Committee on Climate Change, have called for by as early as 2030, will also include hybrid vehicles for the first time.

Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, said: “This Government’s £1.5bn strategy to make owning an electric vehicle as easy as possible is working; last year alone, a fully electric car was sold every 15 minutes.

“We want to go further than ever before. That’s why we are bringing forward our already ambitious target to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars to tackle climate change and reduce emissions,” he added.

Whitehall’s climate change strategy will culminate in COP26, the UN’s global green conference, when some 200 world leaders and 30,000 delegates will converge on Glasgow this November in what will be the country’s biggest ever summit.

The talks are regarded as the most important since the Paris Agreement to curb global warming was secured in 2015.

Countries are expected to deliver more ambitious domestic plans for cutting greenhouse gases by 2030 as current proposals are not enough to prevent dangerous temperature rises.

Launching his Government’s 2020 climate change strategy in London alongside the UK’s foremost environmental campaigner, Sir David Attenborough, the Prime Minister will say that the international event will provide an important opportunity for countries to step up their efforts and follow this country’s lead in achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

“There can be no greater responsibility than protecting our planet and no mission that a Global Britain is prouder to serve. 2020 must be the year we turn the tide on global warming; it will be the year when we choose a cleaner, greener future for all,” declared Mr Johnson.

Dismissing suggestions that COP26 might be switched to London because of security concerns, Alister Jack, the Scottish Secretary, insisted it was great that the global event would be held in Scotland’s largest city.

“Glasgow has the experience and the world-class facilities to successfully host such a prestigious event,” declared Mr Jack. “I am confident it will provide a great platform for COP26 attendees to tackle climate change and work to build a better world for future generations,” he added.

Among the measures announced by the Government are:

*£2bn to support decarbonisation in sectors across the economy from industry to transport;

*£390m of investment in hydrogen and low carbon technology to reduce emissions from industry, including steel, which accounts for 15 per cent of all industry emissions in the UK;

*up to £1bn of additional funding to develop and embed the next generation of cutting-edge electric vehicle technologies;

*£400m of investment in new charging infrastructure for electric vehicles;

*plans to use new financing models to roll out more new nuclear, including up to £18m for the UK’s first mini nuclear reactor to be operational in the early 2030s, creating 40,000 jobs at its peak and powering 750,000 homes;

*£26m of extra funding for carbon capture technology, including investment in the UK’s largest project to be operational by next year;

*£222m investment in a visionary fusion reactor design programme;

*plans to make it easier to recycle oil and gas infrastructure for carbon capture, including some of the 20,000km of UK pipelines.

*a record low use of coal in the UK’s energy system with just 0.6 per cent of the UK’s electricity coming from coal between April and June;

*a Green Finance Strategy, requiring publicly listed companies and large asset owners from 2021 to report on how climate change risk impacts on their activities by 2021;

*£5m to help the financial sector develop green financial products, including green mortgages and

*the establishment of a £10m innovation fund to cut the cost of retrofitting old homes.

The Government’s green strategy launch has, however, been somewhat overshadowed by a political row following the sacking, on Brexit Day, of Claire Perry O’Neill, appointed COP26 President in July.

Downing St insisted the move was made to make the presidency a ministerial role but Ms O’Neill is said to be considering legal action with sources close to the former Environment Minister believing she was fired for criticising Government failings.

During Commons exchanges, Labour’s Rachel Reeves said: “Hosting the global climate conference, COP26, is a huge opportunity for Britain to tackle the climate emergency and play an international leadership role. So why is it mired in chaos and confusion?”

She went on: “The Prime Minister has failed to chair a single meeting of the Climate Cabinet Committee and now he’s sacked the conference President. Why is that? And what is the Government going to do to play that leadership role that we all need to see?”

Dominic Raab for the Government paid tribute to Ms Perry O’Neill but argued it was right that there was full ministerial responsibility over the event.

The Foreign Secretary told MPs: “The leadership role is, first of all, in terms of the actions we’re taking in decarbonising the UK economy, secondly in relation to being the first major economy to commit to net zero by 2050, thirdly by showing the international leadership; we don’t just want the country to come together, we want other countries to come together, that’s why we’re hosting COP26.

But Caroline Lucas, the Green MP, insisted: “Tackling the climate emergency must be core to trade policy, yet the lack of specific Government proposals look miserably weak compared to the European Commission work on carbon border tariffs and the European Parliament ruling out trade deals with countries not signed up to the Paris Agreement.

“So, [Mr Raab] keeps going on about Britain’s going to be leading the world when it comes to climate change, well let’s prove it. Can he say whether or not the Government will commit to going at least as far as those two EU proposals? No more waffle, no more rhetoric; will he or will he not?”

The Secretary of State replied: “We set out our proposals, we’re committed to that ambition, both of reducing to net zero by 2050, continuing to reduce the CO2 emissions, bringing together the innovation, the technology, the entrepreneurs to provide British answers to the climate change challenge, and of course, leading with our Italian co-hosts the COP26 later in November.”

Later this month, Italy will host the meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Rome ahead of this year’s critical biodiversity summit, COP15, when countries from around the world are due to agree on a new global framework to protect plants and wildlife.

Today’s launch will also kick off a Year of Climate Action. Events will take place in all four nations of the UK with businesses and charities encouraged to participate in the run-up to the November 9 – 20 summit in Glasgow.