Sadiq Khan defiant as hated ULEZ expansion comes into force: London Mayor ignores backlash and Labour alarm – denying £12.50-a-day charge is ‘anti-car’
Sadiq Khan is defying fury from Londoners and rising Labour alarm today as the ULEZ expansion comes into force.
In a bruising round of interviews this morning, the mayor denied that extending the ultra-low emission zone to almost all of the capital was ‘anti-car’.
He dismissed fears from allies of Keir Starmer about the political consequences of imposing the £12.50-a-day levy so widely – insisting people ‘want to see their leaders taking bold action’.
But Tories stepped up their attacks on the policy, branding it a ‘money-raising exercise’.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said he would have blocked the plan if he had the power.
In a bruising round of interviews this morning, Sadiq Khan denied that extending the ultra-low emission zone to almost all of the capital was ‘anti-car’
Mr Khan stood by his policy in posts on X – formerly known as Twitter – today
How the Ultra Low Emission Zone has expanded across London throughout the years
The bulk of Greater London is covered by the £12.50 a day levy from today.
It hits petrol vehicles introduced earlier than 2005 that are not compliant with Euro 4 emissions regulations.
Meanwhile, diesel cars and vans are only exempt if their engine complies with more recent Euro 6 rules, which were introduced in September 2015.
This will snare popular vans registered before the cut-off date including Ford Transit Custom 310s.
Sir Keir has been trying to distance himself from the policy since it was blamed for Labour’s failure to win the Uxbridge & South Ruislip by-election, triggered by Boris Johnson’s resignation from the Commons.
Senior Labour figures fear that anger at the policy could cost the party key outer London seats in the general election next year.
But Mr Khan told Times Radio: ‘The policy to clean the air in London is not anti-car or anti-motorist.
‘The good news is actually nine out of 10 cars seen driving in outer London on an average day are already compliant.
‘So there is no additional fee for you to pay, no restrictions on you, yet you benefit from the clean air.
‘But I accept there are a small number of cars that will be affected, they are non-compliant cars.
‘They themselves, the drivers, breath in pollutants, and that’s why I’ve announced that every single driver in London of a car or motorbike, every small business with a van, every charity with a minibus, will receive financial support (for scrapping non-compliant vehicles).’
Speaking on GB News, Mr Harper said: ‘I don’t have the power to stop it coming into force. That’s a decision for the Mayor of London backed by the Labour leader. I think he should think again.
‘He says this has to do with air quality, his own impact assessment says this will only have a minor to negligible effect on air pollution.
‘It’s not about air pollution, it’s about a money-raising exercise and this is absolutely not the time to be putting all those costs on hard-pressed and hard-working Londoners and those in the area outside London.’
Asked if he would stop the expansion if he had the power, Mr Harper said: ‘Yes, I don’t have the power, though.
‘We’ve looked at this really carefully. Despite what some people say, including on your channel, I don’t have the legal power to block it.
‘That’s a decision for the Mayor of London, and it’s not too late for him to think again.’
Keir Starmer has been trying to distance himself from the policy since it was blamed for Labour’s failure to win the Uxbridge & South Ruislip by-election
Shadow employment minister Justin Madders made clear yesterday that Sir Keir will not intervene to stop Mr Khan going ahead.
However, he said the leadership did not want the plan to take effect now.
The frontbencher told Sky News ‘everyone would agree that dealing with air pollution is an important issue’ but affordability has to be considered.
‘What it shows is that when someone is democratically elected by the people that they represent, they have the mandate. He is entitled to continue to govern London in the way he sees fit,’ he said.
‘We are also entitled to say to him we think he should think again and reconsider some of his policies when it’s having an effect on people.
‘But we are not going to start imposing on people, local councils and mayors, our view on the way the world works because we actually want to go in the opposite direction – we want to give communities greater power and say over their own futures.’
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