Sadiq Khan accused of tax ploy as hated ULEZ enlargement comes into drive

Mark Harper insisted Sadiq Khan‘s hated ULEZ enlargement is about making a living fairly than boosting air high quality.

The Transport Secretary highlighted how the London Mayor’s personal influence evaluation acknowledged that widening the zone to cowl the entire of the capital would solely have a minor to negligible impact on cleansing up the air.

Mr Harper additionally warned of the prospect of the Labour politician rolling out a pay-per-mile scheme in future.

Meanwhile, a defiant Mr Khan defended his enlargement throughout a bruising spherical of interviews on the day the enlargement comes into drive.

Mr Harper instructed Sky News: “The Mayor’s been saying it’s about air quality, it isn’t. If you look at his own impact assessment that he commissioned it says that it will have a minor to negligible effect on air quality in outer London.

“This is about elevating cash and setting up an infrastructure for what on his personal web site he is speaking about his Project 2030 scheme for street person charging, for a pay-per-mile scheme.

“He’s hiring many posts up to £90,000 a year for a road user charging scheme, to charge people for driving in London.”

It comes because the charging zone, which beforehand solely coated central London, has been expanded to all boroughs from at the moment.

It means extra drivers might be pressured to pay the £12.50 every day payment for essentially the most polluting automobiles.

But the London Mayor defended the controversial transfer which has sparked criticism from each the Tories and his personal get together.

He instructed BBC Breakfast: “We now have a really effective policy to reduce air pollution.

“It’s proven to be efficient in central London and internal London, however I believe clear air is a proper not a privilege.

“What about outer London? Why shouldn’t they breathe clean air? Why should they carry on dying prematurely in numbers that could be reversed?”

Mr Khan additionally claimed that the enlargement of the ULEZ just isn’t “anti-car”.

And he denied {that a} pay-per-mile scheme might be launched whereas he’s in City Hall.

Mr Khan instructed Times Radio: “I am ruling out a pay-per-mile scheme whilst I am mayor, it’s not on the agenda, it’s not on the table.

“But it is no secret that the Government, transport officers in London and across the nation, have been for a while, in relation to a better, streamlined service for a wide range of causes, not least as a result of the Government are fearful about gasoline revenues drying up over the course of the following few years.

“In fact, Boris Johnson, when he was the mayor of London – remember him? – in his transport strategy there was talk about a pay-per-mile scheme.

“When Rishi Sunak was chancellor he requested his Treasury officers to look into these schemes. There’s no secrecy round this.”