Sadiq Khan slams Tories pledge to reverse ULEZ expansion as ‘desperate stuff’

The Tories released their manifesto last week, with one of their promises being to “reverse Labour’s unfair ULEZ expansion in London.”

“Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ tax rise only has a ‘moderate’ or ‘minor’ effect on pollution,” the manifesto reads.

“The expansion impacts thousands of people living around London who had no say in his election and can now no longer afford to get to hospital appointments or where they work or study. We will reverse it.”

A spokesperson for the Labour mayor said: “This is desperate stuff from the Tories - a party completely devoid of ideas.”

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The ULEZ expansion was a point of contention during the recent mayoral election with the Tory candidate Susan Hall pledging to stop the expansion on day one.

The ULEZ enforces a daily £12.50 charge for driving older, more polluting vehicles which do not meet emissions standards - previously only covered the area within the North and South Circular roads. It was expanded by the mayor of London, to cover Greater London on August 29 2023.

Last July Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he did not think there was “any doubt that ULEZ was the reason that we lost the by-election in Uxbridge”.

The Labour party suffered a blow after the Conservatives retained Boris Johnson’s old seat in Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

Conservative candidate Steve Tuckwell had campaigned against the tax and said the "damaging and costly ULEZ policy" had cost Labour the chance of winning the seat.

In the upcoming general election the Conservatives have also pledged to stop road pricing and rule out blanket Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and 20mph zones.

The party has promised they “will not introduce pay per mile road pricing and will ban mayors and local councils from doing so.”

They have also promised to introduce local referendums to new 20mph zones and low-traffic neighbourhoods if they win.

The general election will take place on July 4, where the country will head to the polls to vote for who will form the UK government for the next four years.