Keir Starmer STILL won’t say if Sadiq Khan’s much-hated ULEZ expansion should go ahead, as the Labour leader is accused of ‘washing his hands’ of the decision and ‘pushing the mayor under an electric bus’
- Daily emissions toll will be expanded to cover all of Greater London next month
Sir Keir Starmer was last night accused of trying to ‘wash his hands’ of Sadiq Khan’s plan to expand London’s clean air zone as he refused to say whether it should go ahead.
Exposing splits in Labour, the Opposition leader said it was up to the London Mayor to decide whether to press on with widening the controversial ultra low emission zone (Ulez).
The £12.50 daily emissions toll will be expanded to cover all of Greater London next month – but the policy has been blamed for Labour’s narrow by-election defeat in Uxbridge last week. Sir Keir was asked during a call-in on BBC Radio 5 Live yesterday if the expansion should happen.
‘In the end it’s a decision for the mayor but I want him to reflect on that,’ the Labour leader said.
Pressed on his own view, he said it was not a ‘simple political decision’.
Exposing splits in Labour, the Opposition leader said it was up to the London Mayor to decide whether to press on with widening the controversial ultra low emission zone (File Photo)
He said although the Ulez issue has been ‘politicised’, Mr Khan, the Labour incumbent in City Hall, is required by law to take measures to reduce air pollution.
Sir Keir went on: ‘We can’t pretend that this is a simple political decision, you can’t just say ‘yes, no’ without regard to the legal context.
‘If the law requires a measure to be taken, it is not in the gift of the Mayor to say, ‘I’m simply not going to do it’. So he’s got to do something.
‘What I’m working with him on and asking him to reflect on is, ‘In this scheme is there more that we can do to help people like [the show’s caller] Lorraine?’, and that’s an ongoing discussion.’
Sir Keir did not give further details, although he suggested the Government should ‘put money behind’ a scrappage scheme to help lower earners upgrade their vehicles.
The £12.50 daily emissions toll will be expanded to cover all of Greater London next month – but the policy has been blamed for Labour’s narrow by-election defeat in Uxbridge last week (File Photo)
Mr Khan is understood to be committed to implementing the expansion, but is open to ideas on how to mitigate the impact on Londoners.
His team has defended the policy, saying nine in 10 cars driving in outer London are already compliant with Ulez regulations and will not be charged.
Officials have also pointed to a £110million scrappage scheme recently topped up by City Hall.
However, Sir Keir previously backed his party’s unsuccessful Uxbridge by-election candidate who called for a delay to the plans.
A Tory source said last night: ‘The focus group results are in and Sir Keir has decided he needs to change his principles again.
‘He has been an unequivocal backer of Ulez but now he’s trying to wash his hands of the mess and push the mayor who he’s backed to the hilt under the policy under an electric bus.’
Sir Keir was asked during a call-in yesterday if the expansion should happen. ‘In the end it’s a decision for the mayor but I want him to reflect on that,’ the Labour leader said (File Photo)
Labour has blamed the mayor’s plans to extend the low-emissions zone for its failure to win the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election.
The Conservatives hung on to Boris Johnson’s old seat by 495 votes in last week’s poll – well down on the 7,200 majority the former prime minister secured in 2019.
New Tory MP Steve Tuckwell and his campaigners focused on local anger about Mr Khan’s proposal to widen the £12.50 daily charge for cars that fail to meet emissions standards.
Sir Keir has previously said he did not think there was ‘any doubt’ that ‘Ulez was the reason that we lost the election in Uxbridge’.
He told his party’s national policy forum on Saturday that future campaigns had to ‘learn the lesson’ from Uxbridge after the Tories plastered their campaign leaflets with attacks on the widening of the Ulez charge.
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