Londoners living under the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (Ulez) may have believed it impossible that the scheme could become more unpopular. Not only did its expansion play a pivotal role in the Conservative victory at the Uxbridge by-election in June, but the statistics on which its implementation was based have been widely disputed.
And yet, the Telegraph has this week reported the Mayor of London declined an opportunity to aid Kyiv’s war effort against Putin’s forces. A plan to send cars to Ukraine that would otherwise have been scrapped under Ulez has been blocked by Mr Khan on grounds it would not “benefit Londoners”. The vehicles, which are often 4x4s and pick-up trucks, are desperately needed on the front line.
It is extremely unlikely that a fractional increase in nitrous oxide emissions from these vehicles 1,300 miles away in Kyiv would be deleterious to the health of Londoners, many of whom would support a move to bolster Ukraine’s defences. Mr Khan may be right that the “legal threshold” for the scrappage scheme to deliver “economic, social and environmental” benefits had not been met, but how many Londoners would have challenged his approval of the plans?
This controversy speaks to an apparent, growing detachment between the environmental ambitions of Mr Khan and the needs of those living in the capital. Since the self-professed “green” activist became Mayor in 2016, crime has increased. Over £35,000 was spent on “intrusive staring” posters by Transport for London in 2021, yet in the six months to September 2023, there was a 30 per cent increase in the number of offences recorded on the network. On campaigning for office, Mr Khan pledged a fare freeze which has contributed towards the forecast £1.5 billion hole in TfL’s finances by 2024/25.
Despite promises to tackle sky-high property costs by ramping up the amount of affordable housing delivered, average house prices have spiralled and the Mayor has failed to hit his own house-building targets in every year bar one. Mr Khan has repeatedly demanded additional powers to impose rent controls, despite evidence revealing they lower both the supply and quality of housing stock.
Most people in Britain today support decarbonisation, provided measures are proportionate and research-led. They also grasp the importance of Ukraine’s war effort to global security. The Mayor should too.
Londoners living under the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (Ulez) may have believed it impossible that the scheme could become more unpopular. Not only did its expansion play a pivotal role in the Conservative victory at the Uxbridge by-election in June, but the statistics on which its implementation was based have been widely disputed.
And yet, the Telegraph has this week reported the Mayor of London declined an opportunity to aid Kyiv’s war effort against Putin’s forces. A plan to send cars to Ukraine that would otherwise have been scrapped under Ulez has been blocked by Mr Khan on grounds it would not “benefit Londoners”. The vehicles, which are often 4x4s and pick-up trucks, are desperately needed on the front line.
It is extremely unlikely that a fractional increase in nitrous oxide emissions from these vehicles 1,300 miles away in Kyiv would be deleterious to the health of Londoners, many of whom would support a move to bolster Ukraine’s defences. Mr Khan may be right that the “legal threshold” for the scrappage scheme to deliver “economic, social and environmental” benefits had not been met, but how many Londoners would have challenged his approval of the plans?
This controversy speaks to an apparent, growing detachment between the environmental ambitions of Mr Khan and the needs of those living in the capital. Since the self-professed “green” activist became Mayor in 2016, crime has increased. Over £35,000 was spent on “intrusive staring” posters by Transport for London in 2021, yet in the six months to September 2023, there was a 30 per cent increase in the number of offences recorded on the network. On campaigning for office, Mr Khan pledged a fare freeze which has contributed towards the forecast £1.5 billion hole in TfL’s finances by 2024/25.
Despite promises to tackle sky-high property costs by ramping up the amount of affordable housing delivered, average house prices have spiralled and the Mayor has failed to hit his own house-building targets in every year bar one. Mr Khan has repeatedly demanded additional powers to impose rent controls, despite evidence revealing they lower both the supply and quality of housing stock.
Most people in Britain today support decarbonisation, provided measures are proportionate and research-led. They also grasp the importance of Ukraine’s war effort to global security. The Mayor should too.