EC takes UK to court on air quality - EFRA Chair reacts

Today the European Commission announced legal action against the UK for its failure to cut unlawful levels of air pollution.

Neil Parish, Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, said:

“The news that the European Commission will be taking the UK Government to court for dangerous levels of air pollution should be a wake-up call. It is astonishing that, despite a series of legal defeats, the Government has consistently failed to come up with a coherent and effective plan to tackle this national health emergency.

“Addressing the UK’s toxic air should be more than just a box-ticking exercise. In our joint inquiry into air quality, we found little evidence of the decisive steps needed to protect the public. It is simply not acceptable that over 40,000 lives are being cut short each year because the Government is too timid to take the necessary action”.

The EFRA, EAC, Health and Transport Committees released a joint report into Air Quality in March 2018.