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Later today Environment Secretary Michael Gove will publish a Clean Air Strategy which aims to cut air pollution and save lives, backed up through new primary legislation.

Air pollution is the fourth biggest threat to public health after cancer, obesity and heart disease and the new government strategy sets out how we will go further and faster than the EU in reducing human exposure to particulate matter pollution. Today’s proposals are in addition to the government’s £3.5 billion plan to reduce air pollution from road transport and diesel vehicles, set out in July last year.

It is estimated that the action set out today will reduce the costs of air pollution to society by an estimated £1 billion every year by 2020, rising to £2.5 billion every year from 2030.

The new strategy, which is now out for consultation, is a key part of our 25 Year Plan to leave our environment in a better state than we found it. It sets out:

• Our goal that by 2025, we will halve the number of people living in locations where concentrations of particulate matter are above the WHO guideline limit of 10 ug/m3 by 2025.
• We will introduce new primary legislation, which will give local government new powers to improve air quality.
• We will legislate to ensure only the cleanest domestic fuels will be available for sale, preventing 8,000 tonnes of harmful particulate matter from entering the atmosphere each year.
• For the first time the government will take concerted action to tackle ammonia from farming – which is responsible for 88% of ammonia emissions – by requiring farmers to invest in the infrastructure and equipment that will reduce emissions. Farmers will be supported to achieve this through our new system of public money for public goods.
• We will work with international partners to research and develop new standards for tyres and brakes to enable us to address toxic non-exhaust emissions of micro plastics from vehicles which can pollute air and water.
• We will provide a personal air quality messaging system to inform the public, particularly those who are vulnerable to air pollution, about the air quality forecast, providing clearer information on air pollution episodes and accessible health advice.
• We will put new investment into scientific research and innovation strengthening the UK’s position as a world leader in clean technology and secure further emissions reductions.

During a visit to meet air quality researchers at Imperial College, Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:

Air quality has improved significantly since 2010 but sixty years on from the historic Clean Air Act a clear truth remains – air pollution is making people ill, shortening lives and damaging our economy and environment.

This is why today we are launching this clean air strategy, backed up with new primary legislation. It sets out the comprehensive action required across all parts of government to improve air quality.

The strategy also sets out how we will work with media outlets to improve public access to the air quality forecast and help individuals and organisations reduce their contribution to air pollution; showing how this can help them protect their families, colleagues and neighbours.

The importance of raising awareness of the dangers of air pollution is evident in a research report, also published today, which shows just 1 in 5 respondents felt they knew a lot about its effects. The report also showed a lack of awareness of the wide range of sources of air pollution with most naming transport as the main cause. But transport emissions are only one part of the problem. From farming to cleaning solvents there are a large range of other day to day practices, processes and products that produce harmful emissions.

Of particular concern is burning wood and coal to heat a home which contributes 38% of UK emissions of damaging particulate matter. Cleaner fuels and stoves produce less smoke, less soot and more heat. In future only the cleanest domestic fuels will be available for sale.

Mr Gove added:

Government cannot act alone in tackling air pollution. Our strategy sets out how we will work with businesses, farmers, industry and households to develop innovative new solutions to reduce emissions. It also highlights how we can all take action and playing an important role in cleaning up our air.

Also being announced today, by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, is a new tool for local authorities developed for Public Health England by Imperial College and the UK Health Forum which will enable local authorities to estimate the economic impact of air pollution in their area. The tool takes account of the cumulative cost for diseases where there is a strong association with air pollution: coronary heart disease; stroke; lung cancer; and child asthma.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Hunt said:

Air Pollution is contributing to a national health crisis. If we fail to take decisive action, we risk more of our children suffering from asthma, and patients needlessly ending up in hospital.

Our health service can only go so far in treating the conditions that dirty air can contribute to, and we have a responsibility to stop this issue at source. Today’s Clean Air Strategy and Air Pollution Tool do just that, taking a giant step towards cleaning up our air for good.

The £400m Highways England upgrade – the biggest road building project in the north of England – means there are now motorway links all the way between Newcastle and London.

The extra capacity which comes from adding an extra lane in each direction near Catterick promises to reduce journey times by a fifth, and with safety benefits leading to less accidents, it is predicted to pump more than £1billion in the economy.

Over the next 60 years the improved road is predicted to prevent 450 accidents and save 20 lives.

The upgrade is part of the government’s £15 billion roads investment strategy, which is transforming the road network and improving connections between cities.

Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling said:

Our record investment to improve our roads is making a real difference to people’s lives – providing quicker and safer journeys for millions of drivers.

This scheme will not only save motorists time stuck in traffic, but will also help unlock £1 billion into the economy.

It also fills in the missing link to provide motorway-standard roads between Newcastle and London, helping businesses in the north by opening up new opportunities thanks to better and more reliable connections to the rest of the country.

Highways England Senior Project Manager Tom Howard said:

This is great news for the almost 70,000 drivers who already use this section every day and whose journeys will be safer and faster.

At the same time we’ve also made it easier for local people to access the A1 safely, and we’ve planted miles of hedgerows and acres of woodland.

This has been the biggest road project in the north and I would like to thank everybody involved in the scheme for their hard work and commitment in making it happen.

A total 13 miles of the route between Leeming and Barton has been upgraded to motorway standard, with an extra lane added in each direction. It means drivers using the M1 and A1(M) can have motorway standard journeys between Newcastle and London.

The upgrade has made access to the motorway safer via a new junction at Catterick and an improved junction at Scotch Corner.

The improvements also include 11 miles of new local access road, improving safety for local traffic and the surrounding communities as well as providing an improved route for cyclists, equestrians and pedestrians. There are also 10 new bridges to help people more easily get from one side to the other.

The project created more than 800 jobs, with 11 apprentices and 15 graduates recruited to the scheme.

To benefit the local environment 28 hectares of new woodland have been established and 18 miles of new hedgerows have been planted.

The improvements will translate into huge benefits for the economy.

David Laws, Chief Executive at Leeds Bradford Airport, said:

The A1 Leeming to Barton scheme will help to play a big part in improving surface access connectivity to Leeds Bradford Airport and this upgrade will ensure the economic benefits the airport can deliver for the wider Leeds City Region will be accelerated.

Contractors for Highways England will still be on the site over the next few weeks while they complete minor work such as landscaping.

For more details, visit the scheme website.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

A major new campaign to protect the UK’s mighty oak trees from threats including pests and diseases has been officially launched at the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show by Lord Gardiner, Defra’s Biosecurity Minister.

The Action Oak Partnership – made up of charities, environmental organisations and landowners – is seeking to raise £15 million for research and monitoring to help safeguard the 121 million oaks in UK woodlands.

Work will include capturing the first detailed picture of the current health of oaks trees, helping to gain a greater understanding of how to preserve their iconic position in our landscape for generations to come.

The campaign contributes to the Government’s 25-year Environment Plan, which was launched by the Prime Minister in January, by helping to strengthen biosecurity and build resilience to protect oaks for future generations. It also builds on the £37 million the Government is already investing in tree and plant health research.

Action Oak is supported by The Prince of Wales, who convened a cross-sector meeting on the issue of plant health and biosecurity at Highgrove, his residence in Gloucestershire, in February. HRH is also the Patron of Woodland Heritage, the charity that will be administering funds raised by the campaign.

Defra Biosecurity Minister Lord Gardiner said:

Protecting our country from pests and diseases, so our trees and plants can thrive in the future, is a priority for this Government and we are proud to be backing this campaign.

The Action Oak Partnership provides a one-off opportunity to shape the future of our oak trees and make sure they continue to have a place in our landscape.

The combined knowledge of all the organisations involved will be vital in protecting these majestic trees, contributing to help us be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we found it.

The Action Oak Partnership includes The Woodland Trust, Woodland Heritage, National Trust, The Duchy of Cornwall, Forest Research, Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, the Forestry Commission and the Northern Ireland Forest Service, and is supported by Defra, Scottish, Wales and Northern Ireland governments.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), supported by the organisations involved in the Partnership, will have a stand at RHS Chelsea dedicated to Action Oak. At the stand visitors will be able to learn about how oak trees have shaped our history, the threats the face and how they can be protected.

Action Oak has already attracted support from foundations, businesses, artists and celebrities including:

• Dame Judi Dench, a well-known tree lover – a 3D scan of her favourite oak tree will be displayed on the Action Oak stand at Chelsea
• British ceramicist Emma Bridgewater – has created a bespoke Action Oak mug which will go on sale later in the year in support of Partnership, with a portion of the proceeds going towards Action Oak research
• The Monument Trust, one of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts – has donated a further £500,000 towards research into Acute Oak Decline (AOD)
• The JABBS Foundation, a private family charitable foundation based in Birmingham – has pledged over £565,000 towards research examining oak tree defences at the University of Birmingham for Forest Research

Geraint Richards, Duchy of Cornwall head forester, said:

The oak is our country’s most important tree, an iconic species and the provider of numerous benefits to us and our environment.

We must do all that we can to preserve the health of our oak trees for future generations.

Beccy Speight, chief executive for the Woodland Trust, said:

We need to take a serious look at the threats our trees and woods are facing. As we approach a post-Brexit world, we need to take opportunities to make the UK’s landscape more resilient, and combat invasive pests and diseases head-on. Our shared responsibilities span from ensuring the supply of new, UK-sourced saplings to better care for our ancient trees.

We are proud to be a part of Action Oak. The oak supports an astonishing amount of wildlife, but is also an iconic part of our culture and heritage. By working together we plan to make the necessary changes to safeguard our most treasured native tree, for decades to come.

Lewis Scott, co-founder and trustee of Woodland Heritage said:

My co-Founder, Peter Goodwin, single-handedly raised £2million towards research into Acute Oak Decline (AOD) before his untimely death last year.

This money has enabled so much research to have been undertaken over the last decade, but the threats to the oak go far beyond AOD, itself not yet fully understood.

It is wonderful, therefore, for Woodland Heritage to now be part of a unique initiative that is tackling the wide range of risks the oak faces head-on, helping to ensure that the mighty oak can be enjoyed by generations to come.

For more information about the campaign and how to support it, visit the Action Oak website

• New online safety laws to be created to make sure the UK is the safest place in the world to be online
• Response to Internet Safety Strategy consultation published today
• Government to collaborate with industry, charities and public on a White Paper

The move is part of a series of measures included in the government’s response to the Internet Safety Strategy green paper, published today.

The Government has been clear that much more needs to be done to tackle the full range of online harm.

Our consultation revealed users feel powerless to address safety issues online and that technology companies operate without sufficient oversight or transparency. Six in ten people said they had witnessed inappropriate or harmful content online.

The Government is already working with social media companies to protect users and while several of the tech giants have taken important and positive steps, the performance of the industry overall has been mixed.

The UK Government will therefore take the lead, working collaboratively with tech companies, children’s charities and other stakeholders to develop the detail of the new legislation.

Matt Hancock, DCMS Secretary of State said:

Digital technology is overwhelmingly a force for good across the world and we must always champion innovation and change for the better. At the same time I have been clear that we have to address the Wild West elements of the Internet through legislation, in a way that supports innovation. We strongly support technology companies to start up and grow, and we want to work with them to keep our citizens safe.

People increasingly live their lives through online platforms so it’s more important than ever that people are safe and parents can have confidence they can keep their children from harm. The measures we’re taking forward today will help make sure children are protected online and balance the need for safety with the great freedoms the internet brings just as we have to strike this balance offline.

DCMS and Home Office will jointly work on a White Paper with other government departments, to be published later this year. This will set out legislation to be brought forward that tackles a range of both legal and illegal harms, from cyberbullying to online child sexual exploitation. The Government will continue to collaborate closely with industry on this work, to ensure it builds on progress already made.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said:

Criminals are using the internet to further their exploitation and abuse of children, while terrorists are abusing these platforms to recruit people and incite atrocities. We need to protect our communities from these heinous crimes and vile propaganda and that is why this Government has been taking the lead on this issue.

But more needs to be done and this is why we will continue to work with the companies and the public to do everything we can to stop the misuse of these platforms. Only by working together can we defeat those who seek to do us harm.

The Government will be considering where legislation will have the strongest impact, for example whether transparency or a code of practice should be underwritten by legislation, but also a range of other options to address both legal and illegal harms.

We will work closely with industry to provide clarity on the roles and responsibilities of companies that operate online in the UK to keep users safe.

The Government will also work with regulators, platforms and advertising companies to ensure that the principles that govern advertising in traditional media – such as preventing companies targeting unsuitable advertisements at children – also apply and are enforced online.

Barnardo’s CEO, Javed Khan, said:

We welcome the Government’s commitment to making the UK the safest place to be online and the recognition of the need to bring industry, charities and the public together to tackle the risks and opportunities the online world brings.

We have long seen the harm that online can bring to children’s lives, our own child sexual abuse services saw a 38% increase last year in children referred. Online can be a force for good, but the ease of exploitation of children must be tackled.

We urge Government in the White paper to consider legislation that ends the era of technology self-regulation and puts children’s safety at the heart of the online world. Taking action now is vital to protect the next generation of children.

Alex Holmes, Deputy CEO, The Diana Award said:

We’re proud to support this government’s internet safety strategy, having been part of a number of consultations seeking and representing the views of our staff, young people and schools. Here at The Diana Award we know from our powerful peer to peer education programmes the positive part that technology plays in the lives of children and young people as well as the risks it brings.

We look forward to seeing government, industry, businesses, schools and the wider children and charity sector workforce continue to work together to make the internet a safer place for all.

Any changes recommended by the Law Commission’s Review of Online Offensive Communications, announced by the Prime Minister in February, will be considered as part of the legislation.

This work forms part of the government’s Digital Charter, which is working to develop the norms and rules for the online world and put them into practice, helping to make the UK both the safest place to be online and the best place to start and grow a digital business.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The Government has published its response to the Internet Safety green paper. Of the responses to the public consultation on the Green Paper:

• Six in ten people said they had witnessed inappropriate or harmful content online
• Four in ten people said they had experienced online abuse
• Four in ten people said concerns they put to social media companies were not taken seriously