THE Tory government’s attempt to “row back” on its commitment to clean up road transport is “dangerous” and will prevent Britain from leading the way in producing electric vehicles, Labour said yesterday.

Transport Minister Chris Grayling will today announce plans intended to make it easier to recharge electric vehicles, which could lead to the installation of hundreds of thousands more charge points.

The government’s Road to Zero strategy will provide more money to fund recharging infrastructure and consider whether new homes and offices should be required to instal charge points as standard.

Mr Grayling is also expected to outline more details of its ban on sales of new conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040, but shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald accused the Tories of reneging on their promises to tackle pollution.

Mr McDonald said: “At a time when the planet is threatened by climate change and air pollution contributes to 40,000 premature deaths each year, it is dangerous for the government to row back on their commitments to clean up road transport.

“This isn’t a Road to Zero, it’s a road to nowhere.

“Under the Tories, Britain is being held back from the transition towards electric vehicles which is already happening elsewhere across the globe.

“The government must set an ambitious target to remove polluting vehicles from our roads, backed up by a detailed plan for achieving it and an industrial strategy to help Britain’s automotive sector become a leader in this emerging global industry.”