Air pollution: The policies which prompted the proliferation of diesel under Labour should be a warning to the Tories today

Analysis: Tackling poisonous air pollution requires environmental and social vision, writes Harry Cockburn

Boris Johnson’s spending on cycling policies is dwarfed by his roads budget (PA)

In the late 1990s, diesel vehicles accounted for around 12 per cent of all licensed cars. But by 2017, this figure had risen dramatically so diesels accounted for almost half of all cars on the road.  

Why did this happen? In 2001 Tony Blair’s government chose to ignore warnings about the health risks diesel cars posed, and introduced tax changes which fostered a huge move towards diesel.

Ironically, the then Chancellor Gordon Brown’s new sliding scale for car tax or vehicle excise duty (VED), was aimed at protecting the environment.