The British government should take a tougher stance against Volkswagen (VW) after its emissions fraud, as well as increase the use of electric cars and reduce air pollution from transport, a parliamentary environment committee said on Thursday.
Almost a year after US regulators found that VW had cheated in diesel emissions tests, the British government has yet to decide what action to take against Europe's largest automaker, even though it faces criminal investigations in the United States, South Korea and elsewhere.
The worldwide scandal, dubbed "Dieselgate", has hurt VW's reputation and business, and already cost it billions of dollars. VW last September admitted to using a sophisticated secret software in cars to cheat on exhaust emissions tests.
The Environmental Audit Committee, whose conclusions are not binding on the government, said VW had only just started to recall cars in Britain and UK authorities have yet to decide whether to take legal action against the company.
"There's been a worrying inertia from ministers in tackling the VW scandal and they should decide whether to take legal action," Mary Creagh, chair of the committee, said in a statement.Read More
