The Conservative government must not use the EU referendum as an excuse to abandon their moral and legal duty to protect British citizens from a toxic air pollution crisis, says Keith Taylor MEP.
In April 2015 the government was ordered by the UK Supreme Court to take immediate action to clean up the UK’s air, following a court case brought by environmental lawyers ClientEarth. However, Ministers have failed to put adequate plans in place to tackle NO2 pollution levels that breach EU legal limits. The government is due back in court today (Tuesday, 18 October).
The court case has particular significance following the vote to leave the European Union. Just last month, Ministers refused to commit to Britain retaining vital EU air quality laws.
Keith Taylor, Green MEP for the South East and vocal air quality campaigner, said:
"ClientEarth's commitment to holding the government to account for their repeated breaches of EU air pollution laws should be admired. As we look to the future, it is clear that leaving the EU cannot be allowed to become a means to legitimate the government's continued abdication of its responsibility for this public health emergency.”
“Despite the preventable deaths of 50,000 British people, every year, and an annual public health bill of £20bn, the Conservatives are still failing to take the air quality crisis seriously. It is important to be clear that ClientEarth is holding the government to account for failing to do the bare minimum, as required by EU laws the UK itself helped to set, to improve the quality of the air we all breathe. The bare minimum."
“Where embraced and enforced, EU air pollution limits are helping to prevent thousands of deaths every year. In fact, this government readily acknowledges that it is EU law that has been the driver of any positive air quality action in the UK. For the sake of the health and prosperity of the British people, we cannot risk scrapping these safeguards.”
“The government must finally face up to its moral and legal responsibility for tackling Britain's air quality crisis. Ministers must, regardless of the outcome of this court case, to make a firm commitment to maintaining and strengthening vital EU air quality laws.”