Richard Burden MP, responding to Volkswagen’s admission that diesel and petrol vehicles were emitting “irregular” carbon levels, said:

“The admission that there could be ‘irregularities’ in the greenhouse gases coming out of Volkswagen’s vehicles as well as NOx pollutants is the latest significant twist to the scandal. It will be worrying for motorists who will not know how far to trust fuel consumption figures and who will also know that the level of Vehicle Excise Duty they pay is related to the CO2 performance of their cars. We need to know the full extent of this scandal and whether additional failings have been identified.

“Ministers must act urgently to get to the bottom of what is going on. People need to have confidence both in the credibility of climate change strategies and in the motor industry which is so important to our manufacturing sector. Today I will be tabling a series of questions to Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin. He should come to the House of Commons to make a full statement.”