Sadiq Khan was yesterday accused of “bringing misery and financial pain to many people” by expanding the controversial Ulez charge.
The Mayor of London has been defending his much-criticised move to expand the daily fee of £12.50 in the capital for older vehicles.
The Labour politician even claimed he would be on the “right side of history” and accused the Government of “weaponising air pollution”.
This prompted fury from Tories, who say businesses and lower-paid workers will be hit hardest by the toll. They also warned it could badly affect public services, who may struggle to recruit staff, such as carers, because they cannot afford the daily charge.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper has urged Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to make his position on Ulez clear, saying in a letter: “You have the power to stop it.”
Greg Smith, Tory MP for Buckingham, said: “If Sadiq Khan thinks he is on the right side of history, I would gently point out to him that I think he is bringing misery and financial pain to many people, not just in his own city but in the counties that surround London as well.”
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Paul Scully, who represents Sutton and Cheam in south London, told the Daily Express: “The only person weaponising air pollution is the Mayor.
Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, his Ulez expansion will hit small businesses, charities and the lowest paid incredibly hard.
“Instead of targeted action to tackle air quality, he’s leant on scientists to change their research conclusions, skewed his consultation towards people he believed would more likely support him.
“This is the first decision that many Londoners will have noticed the Mayor make in seven years of his time in office. “Imagine what they’re going to find when they see how he’s been acting on policing, housing and wider transport matters.”
The Ulez expansion is set to take place tomorrow, and will take the zone perimeter up to London’s borders with Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey.
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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.
Some opponents of the 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.
Susan Hall, the Conservative London mayoral candidate, said: “Sadiq Khan pretended Ulez expansion was not on the agenda, until it was.
“Now he is doing the same for his plans to charge motorists for every mile they drive, which TfL has openly admitted it is working on. As Mayor, I will stop all development on Sadiq Khan’s pay per mile scheme.”
Mr Khan, right, accused the Government of mock anger over the ultra-low emissions zone, and rebutted some critics’ claims that the plan does not significantly improve the capital’s air quality.
He said: “The thing which frustrates me is if it was the case that the Ulez wasn’t working, I would have abandoned it, because I’m pragmatic. But the Ulez has been shown to reduce toxicity by almost 50 percent in central London.
I am quite clear in relation to the evidence I have seen. The consequences of air pollution are heartbreaking when you have spent time with a bereaved mum.
It’s heartbreaking when you get in an in-patients ward and see the consequences of air pollution.” A Department for Transport spokesman said: “It is for the Mayor to justify the Ulez expansion. The Mayor is responsible for explaining whether it is fair.”
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