Mark Andrews on Saturday: Green number plates, plane stupidity, and why moon travel won't catch on

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has suggested that electric cars could in future be fitted with green number plates in an attempt to encourage more people to make the switch. Councils, he says, could then grant special privileges to drivers of green-plated cars, such as allowing them to use bus lanes and providing them with free parking.

I think we know which way this one is heading. No sooner has the green plates scheme been introduced, a plethora of new bus lanes and punitive parking charges will be introduced, and the country will be divided into two, the enlightened elite with their clean, green cars, and the second-class plebs in need of a bit of ‘education’.

And of course, while this culture war is going on, another nail will be driven into the coffin of our dying town centres because vast swathes of the population will be unable to get to them.

My suspicion is it will take a bit more than green number plates and a few parking privileges to convince many people to spend £30,000-plus on a cramped hatchback with sluggish performance and limited range. Such as a persuasive argument that electric cars really are as good for the environment as the politicians say. And an assurance they are not going to be shafted with punitive taxes when the politicians change their mind.

Sir Richard Branson says he fully supports the Extinction Rebellion protests, which have been bringing London to a standstill for the past couple of weeks.

He says their actions remind him of the marches against the Vietnam War he took part in during the 1960s. Talk about a mid-life crisis.

“All of us have got to do everything we can to address climate change and we’ve got to persuade governments, companies, everybody, to do more,” he says.

I’m not sure Sir Richard fully understands what Extinction Rebellion is all about. Which is understandable given that Extinction Rebellion doesn’t appear entirely sure, either. Something about declaring a ‘climate emergency’, which nearly all our local authorities have already done. And I'm sure you will agree, it has made a huge difference.

That said, the one thing they are pretty clear on is that they are not especially keen on air travel. I’m pretty sure that’s why one of them decided to glue himself to an aeroplane. Either that, or it was a pretty special stag do.

And Extinction Rebellion’s antipathy to air travel is a bit difficult to square with being the boss of a transatlantic airline. It makes getting to your private island in the Caribbean a bit of a bind, too.

Anyhow, it seems Sir Richard is now focusing on the slightly longer haul sector of the travel industry, and reckons hotels on the moon could be the next big thing. I wonder if he’s asked Extinction Rebellion where it stands on space rockets.

Besides I can’t really see moon travel catching on. True, it never rains and you won’t have to worry about crowded beaches or Germans grabbing sun loungers. But, I dunno, it just seems to lack a bit of atmosphere.