Sadiq Khan has been accused of being “divorced from reality” after saying tradespeople should support his ULEZ expansion.
The London Mayor insisted the controversial move is in their interests as they will take less days off work due to the health benefits.
But Conservative London mayoral candidate Susan Hall, who has vowed to scrap the expansion if she wins next May’s election, called out the Labour politician over his remarks.
She said: “Can you believe this? Khan really is divorced from reality, he doesn’t listen to Londoners and has no idea what it’s like to run a small business.
“Londoners are suffering from both the cost of living and worse still the cost of Khan!”
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New Tory MP Steve Tuckwell, who won the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election amid ULEZ fury, added: “Another example of Khan showing contempt for small businesses in London.
“He is a Zone 1 Labour politician who doesn’t care about outer London and the devastating impact of expanding ULEZ on businesses and households – time for some real listening and stop this ULEZ disaster.”
More drivers will be stung by the £12.50 daily fee for the most polluting vehicles when the charging zone expands to outer London from August 29 in a bid to improve air quality.
Mr Khan is ploughing ahead despite pressure – including from within his own party – to re-think the move.
Earlier this week he told Fix Radio: “If you are a driver, driving a car that has to pay the ULEZ charge, it means you’re driving a vehicle where you’re breathing in more poison than you should be breathing in.
“So you should want to be driving a cleaner vehicle you should want to be driving a ULEZ-compliant vehicle because it reduces your life expectancy and makes it more likely rather than less likely, that you’ll get asthma, dementia, heart disease or cancer.”
He went on: “I understand, it’s particularly difficult now, tradespeople are taking time for work because of asthma and other health-related issues caused by respiratory conditions.
“It’s in tradespeople’s interests to be having vehicles that are compliant because it means they take off less time from work by being unwell because of air pollution.”
The London Mayor widened the scrappage scheme after Labour’s loss in the by-election in Boris Johnson’s former seat last month was blamed on the ULEZ.
Small businesses and sole traders can now get £21,000 to junk up to three vans.
