Khan says climate crisis more important than
party politics after Ulez victory
London mayor to expand charging zone for drivers after
high court win and rejects pressure from Labour leadership to think again
Rowena
Mason, Aubrey Allegretti and Gwyn Topham
Fri 28 Jul
2023 18.09 BST
Sadiq Khan
has vowed to press ahead with the expansion of London’s low emissions zone
saying tackling the climate emergency and air pollution are “bigger than party
politics”, despite the Labour leadership urging a rethink of the policy.
After the
high court dismissed a legal challenge brought by five Conservative councils,
the Labour mayor said he understood concerns of some Londoners but it was right
to charge the most polluting vehicles £12.50 a day to drive in the capital’s
outer boroughs from the end of August.
He said
there would be a “massive expansion” of those eligible for support with the
extra costs to small businesses and those in receipt of child benefit but said
he would “carry on listening” to those arguing for more mitigations.
The ultra
low emissions zone, known as Ulez, has triggered political controversy this
week after the Labour leadership suggested the plans to expand it were partly
responsible for the party’s failure to take the outer London constituency from
the Tories in Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
Rachel
Reeves, the shadow chancellor, suggested on Thursday that it was not the right
time to “clobber” motorists with an additional tax during a cost of living
crisis and Keir Starmer has suggested there should be a rethink of the policy.
Later on
Friday, Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, was even clearer about
opposition to Khan’s policy at the top of Labour, telling Times Radio: “I think
Keir has been very clear that he doesn’t want it to go ahead at this stage, as
has Rachel Reeves. I would agree with them.
“But Sadiq
is the mayor of London. He doesn’t answer to us, he answers to Londoners. If
you believe in devolution, you believe in his right to do that. We’re going to
have to take it on the chin. And he’s going to take the criticism on the chin
and we’ll see what happens.”
It is
understood City Hall has ruled out any delay to the policy but it has not ruled
out further mitigations, after the big expansion of a scrappage scheme
launching next week.
Asked about
the objections from his own party, including Reeves saying it would “clobber”
motorists, Khan said: “It’s a difficult decision and not one I take lightly but
it’s essential we take steps to deal with the air pollution crisis in London.
Clean air is a human right not a privilege … We wouldn’t accept dirty water.
Why dirty air?”
Pressed by
the Guardian on whether he is concerned by the fracturing political consensus
on climate measures, the London mayor said the “tackling the climate emergency
and air pollution are twin emergencies we have got to address; they are bigger
than party politics”.
He
highlighted the wild fires in Greece and the heatwave that hit the UK in 2023,
causing fires as well. “People think climate change and air pollution are an
issue for the global south, or for 30 years’ time. They are an issue for now,”
he said.
Khan has
staked his mayoralty on the policy ahead of the re-election battle next year,
with Conservative candidate Susan Hall saying the court ruling was “a shame”
and reiterating her pledge to “stop the Ulez expansion on day one” if elected.
The
Uxbridge result appears to have prompted the Conservatives to toy with the idea
of watering down their climate policies that are costly to voters in the short
term, despite widespread public support for the aims of net zero. Rishi Sunak
said he would take a “pragmatic” response to net zero and is reviewing plans to
ban new sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2030.
It is
understood he is set to launch an “energy week” next week, potentially visiting
a carbon capture project to unveil funding in Scotland at the start of the week.
Backers of
the Acorn project in Aberdeenshire said it will help ensure the UK drives down
emissions, while allowing oil and gas production to continue. Sunak will argue
that continued North Sea oil and gas production will protect the UK’s energy
security, while investment is simultaneously stepped up to decarbonise
industrial clusters. In contrast, Labour has said it will end North Sea oil and
gas drilling by not granting new licences.
Sunak was
this week urged by former environment minister Zac Goldsmith not to respond to
the Uxbridge result by watering down climate commitments. Green groups joined
the calls on political parties to stick to the targets on Friday, with
Greenpeace UK’s policy director, Doug Parr, saying: “As we enter an era of
global boiling, now is not the time for political point scoring over measures
to tackle climate change and protect the health of our children.”
Leading
doctors and scientists have also warned politicians against abandoning schemes
aimed at reducing traffic pollution levels that are linked to thousands of
deaths each year.
Transport
for London said nine in 10 cars and eight out of 10 vans in London already
comply and have no need to pay the charge. Figures from the RAC suggested there
are 691,559 vehicles in the capital that will not be compliant, with more
entering the capital from surrounding areas.
Khan also
criticised the Conservative councils that brought the court challenge for
wasting up to £1m of taxpayers’ money on the legal fight. “I say to the Tories:
stop using air pollution and climate change as a political problem and work
with us to address these twin challenges,” he said.
In their
challenge, the outer London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Harrow and Hillingdon,
along with Surrey county council, launched legal action argued that Khan had
failed to adequately consult, overstepped his powers, and had provided a flawed
£110m scrappage scheme.
In his
verdict, Mr Justice Swift found that the legal basis on which Khan made the
decision to expand the Ulez was sound and in line with previous decisions on
charging within the capital.
In a
summary of his ruling, the judge said he was “satisfied that the mayor’s
decision … was within his powers”, and that enough information was given for
people who wished to respond to provide “informed responses”. The consultation
on the scrappage scheme was “not in depth” but was “lawful”, he said.
Khan
immediately confirmed he would expand the zone as planned on 29 August.
He said the
current zone covering inner London inside the north and south circular roads
had already reduced nitrogen dioxide air pollution by almost half in central
London. According to Transport for London, only about 6% of vehicles now
entering the zone pay a fee.
Drivers of
vehicles that do not meet the Ulez standards are typically petrol cars from
before 2006 and diesels registered before 2015.
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