A scrappage scheme to boost electric car sales would hurt the exchequer and the planet

It’s only a few weeks to Budget 2020, when (I presume) there will be some big changes that affect motorists, today and into the future. The overriding aim will be to encourage drivers to switch to cleaner, more environmentally friendly vehicles.

Not all that long ago, that would have meant diesel power, because diesel cars, in general, use less fuel than equivalent petrol models and hence emit less carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 is ...