BRINGING the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars forward to 2030 would “create jobs and boost the economy” by billions of pounds, according to research commissioned by Greenpeace.

The environmental charity expects that PM Boris Johnson will announce a revised date for the policy on Thursday.

In February he set out plans to move the date from 2040 to 2035 in an effort to reach targets for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

About 32,000 more jobs would be created by a 2030 ban instead of one in 2035, a report by economics consultancy Cambridge Econometrics for Greenpeace claims.

Thousands of these jobs would be in sectors involved in energy, battery manufacturing and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.

But most new jobs would be in industries such as retail, entertainment and leisure – an assertion based on a belief that the cost of owning and running an EV would be reduced, leading to the drivers having more disposable income.

The report predicted that the increase in employment and public spending resulting from a faster transition to the use of EVs would boost UK GDP in 2030 by 0.2 per cent, equivalent to £4.2 billion.

Greenpeace UK’s policy director Doug Parr said “bold” policies are needed to create jobs and economic growth while benefiting the environment, and that an earlier ban will “do just that.”

He continued: “Delivered with the right policies, a 2030 phase-out really would be win-win all round.

“The government no longer has any excuses. The rewards are there for the taking.”

Matthew Pennycook, Labour’s shadow climate change minister, said earlier this year that a 2030 ban was “ambitious but achievable” and would “give a new lease of life to the UK car industry, whilst combating climate breakdown and cleaning up the air.”