Sadiq Khan has U-turned to give his backing for cars set for the scrap heap due to Ulez to instead be donated to the Ukraine war effort.
The London Mayor had previously rejected calls for non-compliant vehicles to be donated to the war torn country, saying it was not legally possible.
However, in an apparent change of position, he has now written to the Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, to ask for help make it possible for suitable cars to be donated.
Ukraine had previously asked Khan to consider donating 4x4s which were to be destroyed to instead be handed over to help defeat Russia.
Sadiq Khan has penned a letter expressing his support
PA
Giving his support along with former defence secretary Ben Wallace, the pair have written a letter to Harper asking for help to give motorists “money for taking polluting vehicles off our cities’ streets while providing vital support towards the people of Ukraine.
"This could be most-quickly done by altering the national regulations for the Certificate of Destruction, which is required as proof that a vehicle has been permanently scrapped, to instead enable the export of suitable vehicles to Ukraine via a registered charity or national scheme," the joint letter states.
"We are optimistic you will work with us to enable Londoners and others around the country to receive money for taking polluting vehicles off our cities’ streets while providing vital support towards the people of Ukraine."
It added: "We understand there is a particular requirement for 4×4 vehicles, as well as emergency service vehicles."
LATEST ULEZ OUTRAGE:
London's Ulez zone expanded in August to cover all boroughs of the capital.
It means anyone driving a vehicle with excessive exhaust emission must pay £12.50 every day they drive in the zone.
Londoners were told at the time they could claim up to £2,000 to replace their non-compliant cars with newer ones.
The request to let vehicles be donated to Ukraine came after Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, had written to his London counterpart to suggest the idea as part of the scrappage scheme.
Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko reportedly contacted Sadiq Khangbnews“This could be most quickly done by altering the national regulations for the Certificate of Destruction, which is required as proof that a vehicle has been permanently scrapped, to instead enable the export of suitable vehicles to Ukraine via a registered charity or national scheme,” he wrote earlier this month.
“We recognise that any such change would need cross-departmental co-ordination within Government, not least to ensure that any vehicles sent to Ukraine meet their needs.”
Khan is thought to have written back at the time, ruling out the possibility of such a scheme.
He said that the Ulez scrappage scheme had been drawn up to “provide environmental benefits to Londoners”.