The Mayor of London is calling on the government to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol vehicles by 2030.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will meet with leaders from other cities in England and Wales at a national air quality summit alongside MPs and the Environment Secretary Michael Gove, on Wednesday.

Leaders will urge the government to bring forward plans to phase out the selling of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2030 in a bid to improve air quality in the UK.

Mr Khan said: “Air pollution is not an isolated problem, it’s a national health crisis. Our country’s filthy air is shortening lives, damaging lungs, and severely impacting on the NHS.

“That’s why we’re bringing together city leaders from across England and Wales to put this at the top of the agenda. We have to take bold action, but while we’re all doing what we can, we need government support to do even more.

Leaders at the summit will also say that they want to play their part nationally to improve air quality and prioritise action to reduce transport emissions as well as creating a Clean Air Act that enforces strict air pollution limits.

Mr Khan added: “Michael Gove has made a good start as Environment Secretary, but we need the government to match our ambition and help us urgently drive forward these improvements. We simply cannot afford to delay.”

Research from the universities of Oxford and Bath has claimed that poor air quality contributes to 40,000 premature deaths each year.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) also found that banning sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans in 2030 would result in a 30 per cent reduction in pollution during that decade.

Last week, Mr Khan also announced official plans to expand the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) to the North and South Circular Roads by 2021 in a bid to tackle air pollution in the capital.

The ULEZ will form a protected area in which most vehicles will need to meet exhaust emission standards or pay a daily charge.

But the plans have been met with controversy by people who have said that this will affect the poorest people in society who cannot afford to change their vehicles to meet exhaust emission standards.