Sam Hall, senior researcher at liberal Conservative think tank Bright Blue, said it was “great news” that the government was planning to set up low emission zones across the UK.

“Air pollution is a serious public health issue that goes well beyond just a few cities,” said Hall. “Our research has shown that 40 per cent of local authorities in the UK breached legal air pollution limits in 2015. Low emission zones are a targeted solution to cutting air pollution that reduce the number of old polluting vehicles entering polluted cities. They also ensure that the owners of these vehicles pay the social costs of their pollution.”