The Transport Secretary has urged Sir Keir Starmer to make his position on ULEZ “clear,” telling the Labour leader: “You have the power to stop it.”
In a letter sent to Sir Keir on Sunday, Mark Harper suggested that Labour plan to use air pollution to “attempt to justify bringing in pay per mile charging for every car in London.”
The cash per mile claim has been denied by City Hall, with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan accusing the Tories of “weaponising air pollution.”
“Why has the government given no support to London? I am disappointed at the lack of support from the government,” Mr. Khan told PA news agency.
“I am disappointed that they seem to be weaponising air pollution and climate change.”
From Tuesday, London’s ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) will be expanded to include the whole of the capital, making it the world’s largest pollution charging area.
People who drive in the zone in a vehicle that does not meet minimum emissions standards are required to pay a £12.50 daily fee or risk a £180 fine, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.
A £160 million scheme run by Transport for London (TfL) enables residents, small businesses, sole traders and charities scrapping non-compliant cars to claim grants.
Lack of Funding
The election defeat was mentioned by the transport secretary in his letter to Sir Keir.He said: “Your position on ULEZ has changed frequently. In January, you said the mayor was ‘right’ to extend ULEZ.
“Following the Uxbridge by-election you asked the mayor to ’reflect‘ on the issue, which he showed no sign of doing. Last week, you said the decision to expand ULEZ will ’disproportionately' hit people struggling with the cost of living.
“You have also let it be known that you would not favour the expansion of similar schemes in cities outside of London.
“And yet Labour’s mayor is still expanding ULEZ. I invite you to make your position clear.”
Mr. Harper went on to tell Sir Keir that while he does not have the “legal power to prevent the ULEZ expansion being introduced, you do have the power to stop it.”
Mr. Khan said he was “disappointed” at the lack of government support for the policy and its accompanying scrappage scheme, unlike those in other English cities.
He said: “It was this government that gave financial support to cities like Bristol, Birmingham and Portsmouth towards their clean air zones.
“If clean air is right for them then why isn’t clean air right for London?”
In response to the Labour mayor, the government stressed that transport and air quality decisions are “devolved to London.”
A spokesperson added: “The government has provided TfL £6bn since 2020 to keep public transport moving and almost £102 million for projects specifically targeted to help tackle air pollution.”
Cameras Destroyed
To comply with ULEZ standards, petrol cars must generally have been first registered after 2005, while most diesel cars registered after September 2015 are also exempt from the charge.TfL says nine out of ten cars seen driving in outer London on an average day are compliant.
Separate figures obtained by the RAC show more than 690,000 licensed cars in the whole of London are likely to be non-compliant.
This does not take into account other types of vehicles or those which enter London from neighbouring counties.
Some opponents of ULEZ expansion claim the policy is aimed at generating money for TfL and criticised the mayor for introducing it during the cost of living crisis.
But Mr. Khan said on Monday: “I am quite clear in relation to the evidence I have seen that the consequences of air pollution are heartbreaking when you have spent time with a bereaved mum.
“It’s really heartbreaking when you get an in-patient ward and see the consequences of air pollution, but also it is inspiring to see that some of these policies can transform people’s lives.”
Anti-ULEZ vigilantes have repeatedly targeted enforcement cameras installed in the new areas in recent months.
Videos have been posted online showing people described as Blade Runners cutting the cameras’ wires or completely removing the devices.
The Metropolitan Police said it had recorded 288 crimes relating to the cameras as of August 1.
ULEZ expansion has become a political issue, being blamed for Labour’s failure to win last month’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip parliamentary by-election.
Asked what level of support he believes he has for the policy, Mr. Khan replied: “We have been trying to make sure we can both tackle air pollution, tackle the climate emergency but help support Londoners during this transition. The vast majority of Londoners want to see clean air and I recognise there are some Londoners with genuine concerns.”
He added: “My job is to try and address those concerns and I have been doing that.”
