“We are now rapidly approaching the era of the driverless car”, Grayling told the Conservative Party conference in the English city of Birmingham.This was a surprise to many Conservatives as many of them, including Grayling, don't  drive their own cars anyway.

“I expect the first truly driverless cars to be on our roads within three or four years.”

Grayling said he was committed to ending the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by 2040, but that diesel cars would have a role in years to come.

“Newer diesel cars today are cleaner than ever before and of course there will be a role for diesel for many years to come as technology evolves”, he said.