Government’s car fleet has 49 diesels

♦ More than half of the cars in the Government’s fleet are diesels, despite Theresa May’s vow to go to war on unclean engines.

Of the fleet of 84 ministerial vehicles, 49 are diesel-powered, according to a Freedom of Information request.

This includes 17 Jaguar XJS, eight Land Rover Discoverys, six Ford Galaxys and two Jaguar F Pace models.

There are also 16 Toyota Avensis cars being renewed this month, although it is not known what their replacements will be. Six electric Nissan Leafs, 21 Ford Mondeo petrol hybrids and a Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle also form part of the fleet.

The Prime Minister vowed last year to look at replacing the diesel cars used by ministers and officials but warned that some would remain because of operational and security constraints.

The news has drawn criticism after Mrs May’s Government introduced new measures to ban both diesel and petrol cars across the UK from 2040.