Lilian Greenwood MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, commenting on the findings of the Government’s diesel emissions testing programme, said:

“Tory Ministers talk about reducing emissions but they were warned in 2014 that diesel emission limits were being breached and did nothing. The Government also shamefully opposed a tougher testing regime in Europe.

“This new report confirms the scale of the problem as even newer cars are breaching legal limits by six times on average.  Vehicle emissions contribute towards thousands of deaths in the UK each year but there can be little confidence in the Government’s ability to tackle the problem.”