Autonomous vehicles could be on UK roads as soon as 2026, the transport secretary has said, as ministers seeks to capture as much as £42bn of the international self-driving market within the coming decade. "This technology exists, it works, and what we're doing is putting in place the proper legislation so that people can have full confidence in the safety of this technology," Mark Harper told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Wednesday. Asked if people would be able to travel in self-driving vehicles "with your hands off the wheel, doing your emails" in 2026, Harper replied: "Yes, and I think that's when companies are expecting – in 2026, during that year – that we'll start seeing this technology rolled out." Responding to a question by the former Top Gear presenter James May – who was Today's guest editor – about why the government was supporting the development of autonomous driving, Harper claimed there were "a few" reasons. He said: "I think it will actually improve road safety. We already have a very good road safety record in Britain but there are still several thousand people a year killed on our roads. "It's a big economic opportunity for Britain to get what will be a big global share of market.

There is a real potential for this sort of technology to actually improve safety on the roads, not just for drivers, not just for passengers, but for other vulnerable road users - pedestrians, cyclists - to really improve road safety, which is a real win for everybody.

Police will be handed extra powers to combat drones after the mass disruption at Gatwick airport in the run-up to Christmas. Gatwick was repeatedly forced to close between 19 and 21 December due to reported drone sightings, affecting about 1,000 flights. In response the government has announced a package of measures which include plans to give police the power to land, seize and search drones. The Home Office will also begin to test and evaluate the use of counter-drone technology at airports and prisons. The exclusion zone around airports will be extended to approximately a 5km-radius (3.1 miles), with additional extensions from runway ends.