Sadiq Khan defends large low-emission zone in London

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan has vehemently defended plans to extend a major clean air policy to the UK capital after the plan was blamed for Labor’s failure to win Thursday’s by-elections in Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

Both the Conservatives and the opposition party on Friday cited widespread anger among voters over the mine’s blueprint to extend the ultra-low emissions zone from the inner city as the main reason the Tories retained the old seat of former prime minister Boris Johnson.

Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer refused to say that Uleez should be closed, but insisted that there was “no doubt” that its expansion was “the reason we didn’t win in Uxbridge”, despite being his party favourite.

Steve Tuckwell, elected for the Tories with a majority of 495, said “absolute opposition” to expansion was the “number one message” to voters during the campaign. He added that the mayor “needed to be heard now”.

However, Khan told the BBC that his policy of extending the Uleez – which charges older and highly polluting vehicles £12.50 a day – to London’s outer suburbs was “tough but right”.

Khan, who will face re-election next May, vowed to continue “monitoring” the plans and “listening” to people’s views on them. But he warned Londoners are “suffering the consequences” of air pollution as well as the rising cost of living, with around 4,000 premature deaths each year.

research City Hall, the mayor’s headquarters, found this year that all of the borough of London had exceeded toxic air pollution limits set by the World Health Organisation.

Vehicle pollution is seen as a key area for emissions reduction in the UK, with more than a third of CO₂ emitted in 2022 coming from road transport.

You are viewing a snapshot of an interactive graphic. This is probably due to being offline or JavaScript is disabled in your browser.

Ulays were first introduced in 2019 to a small section of central London, and then expanded in 2021 to cover all areas within the Northern and Southern Circular Roads that surround inner London.

But the expansion to the outskirts of the capital, scheduled for August, has sparked controversy because there are few public transport options. Five Tory-led councils have legally challenged the move by Transport for London, which is responsible for the capital’s main roads, and a decision is expected this month.

The prospect of an extension has troubled Labour, with several of the party’s London MPs, including shadow business minister Seema Malhotra, warning of its economic impact on residents and small businesses.

Critics argue that too many people and businesses are not able to either pay the fee or change vehicles, and that the £110mn scrappage scheme has been insufficient to support the switchover to less polluting vehicles.

Scrapping or reversing the extension of the scheme has become a central pledge of Susan Hall, who was this week chosen as the Tory candidate to contest against Khan next year. Johnson, who introduced the plan while mayor in 2019, has also come out in favor of reversing its expansion in recent weeks.

According to TfL estimates, the London-wide zone, which comes into force in August, will generate up to £200 million in revenue per year for its first two years, but will leave no surplus until the 2026-27 financial year.

The body has said that since the introduction of the Uleez, the proportion of diesel cars on London’s roads has fallen. There has also been an overall decrease in vehicles and traffic in the area and pollution emissions have “reduced dramatically”, with 4 million people “breathing cleaner air”.

Get Free Pollution Updates

we will send you one myFT Daily Digest Latest Email Rounding pollution News every morning.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has vehemently defended plans to extend a major clean air policy to the UK capital after the plan was blamed for Labor’s failure to win Thursday’s by-elections in Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

Both the Conservatives and the opposition party on Friday cited widespread anger among voters over the mine’s blueprint to extend the ultra-low emissions zone from the inner city as the main reason the Tories retained the old seat of former prime minister Boris Johnson.

Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer refused to say that Uleez should be closed, but insisted that there was “no doubt” that its expansion was “the reason we didn’t win in Uxbridge”, despite being his party favourite.

Steve Tuckwell, elected for the Tories with a majority of 495, said “absolute opposition” to expansion was the “number one message” to voters during the campaign. He added that the mayor “needed to be heard now”.

However, Khan told the BBC that his policy of extending the Uleez – which charges older and highly polluting vehicles £12.50 a day – to London’s outer suburbs was “tough but right”.

Khan, who will face re-election next May, vowed to continue “monitoring” the plans and “listening” to people’s views on them. But he warned Londoners are “suffering the consequences” of air pollution as well as the rising cost of living, with around 4,000 premature deaths each year.

research City Hall, the mayor’s headquarters, found this year that all of the borough of London had exceeded toxic air pollution limits set by the World Health Organisation.

Vehicle pollution is seen as a key area for emissions reduction in the UK, with more than a third of CO₂ emitted in 2022 coming from road transport.

You are viewing a snapshot of an interactive graphic. This is probably due to being offline or JavaScript is disabled in your browser.

Ulays were first introduced in 2019 to a small section of central London, and then expanded in 2021 to cover all areas within the Northern and Southern Circular Roads that surround inner London.

But the expansion to the outskirts of the capital, scheduled for August, has sparked controversy because there are few public transport options. Five Tory-led councils have legally challenged the move by Transport for London, which is responsible for the capital’s main roads, and a decision is expected this month.

The prospect of an extension has troubled Labour, with several of the party’s London MPs, including shadow business minister Seema Malhotra, warning of its economic impact on residents and small businesses.

Critics argue that too many people and businesses are not able to either pay the fee or change vehicles, and that the £110mn scrappage scheme has been insufficient to support the switchover to less polluting vehicles.

Scrapping or reversing the extension of the scheme has become a central pledge of Susan Hall, who was this week chosen as the Tory candidate to contest against Khan next year. Johnson, who introduced the plan while mayor in 2019, has also come out in favor of reversing its expansion in recent weeks.

According to TfL estimates, the London-wide zone, which comes into force in August, will generate up to £200 million in revenue per year for its first two years, but will leave no surplus until the 2026-27 financial year.

The body has said that since the introduction of the Uleez, the proportion of diesel cars on London’s roads has fallen. There has also been an overall decrease in vehicles and traffic in the area and pollution emissions have “reduced dramatically”, with 4 million people “breathing cleaner air”.