Sadiq Khan blasted in scathing Ulez assessment: 'I don't believe a word he says!'
Ben Habib has hit out at Sadiq Khan
GB NEWS / PA
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has come in for a fresh bout of criticism ahead of the contentious extension of his Ulez [Ultra Low Emission Zone] scheme.
The program will see motorists face a daily charge for driving in outer London if they are using a non-compliant vehicle.
While the scheme was first introduced in 2019 as a result of a 2014 ruling by Boris Johnson, it only covered central areas of London.
The scheme aims to cut air pollution in London, but it been the focus of intense scrutiny, with several attempts to stop it failing.
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According to Reform Party UK member Ben Habib, the London mayor is waging a “war” on motorists across London, and claims Ulez is simply a cash grab.
He told GB News: “By his own analysis, there isn’t a crisis over the quality of air in London.
“This is undoubtedly a regressive form of taxation, it hits the working and middle classes much more than anybody else.
“Anybody who has to use their car to wherever it is, he has a complete blind spot for the constituency he is meant to represent.
“He is meant to be championing the interests of lower and middle classes, but he has got a war going against the car.
“We have seen that across the board London with Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and the extension of cycle lanes, 20mph zones, which create much more carbon emissions than if you move at 30mph.
Sadiq Khan goes ahead with ULEZ expansion into the capital PA“He’s at sixes and sevens with himself, he needs to raise money, Transport for London is in financial trouble.
“I don’t believe a word that comes out of Sadiq Khan’s mouth.”
Khan has responded to criticism of the scheme, claiming the Government has “weaponised” the issue of air pollution.
He said: “It was this Government that gave financial support to cities like Bristol, Birmingham and Portsmouth towards their clean air zones.
“If clean air is right for them then why isn’t clean air right for London?
“Why has the Government given no support to London? I am disappointed at the lack of support from the Government.
“I am disappointed that they seem to be weaponising air pollution and climate change.”
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.
TfL says nine out of 10 cars seen driving in outer London on an average day are compliant.
Separate figures obtained by the RAC show more than 690,000 licensed cars in the whole of London are likely to be non-compliant.
This does not take into account other types of vehicles or those which enter London from neighbouring counties.