Sadiq Khan is today battling allegations he plans on continuing his war against the motorist, this time by introducing a scheme to make drivers pay-per-mile in London.
This morning it was reported ULEZ is “just the start” of Labour’s plan to create a carless society, as Mr Mayor has called for an army of experts to build a “sophisticated” new pricing system for London’s roads.
The scheme would use Mr Khan’s ULEZ cameras and could mean drivers wracking up huge charges depending on the length of their journey, the congestion level of the roads and the amount of pollution their car emitted.
A source told the Mail on Sunday: “It is an open secret in City Hall that it is being worked on”.
Despite evidence to the contrary, this morning Sadiq Khan issued a blunt denial.
Taking to Twitter, he said: “This is nonsense. Let me be crystal clear – a pay per mile scheme is not on the table and not on my agenda.”
London Tories have claimed Mr Khan issues the exact same denials about introducing a ULEZ expansion, only for him to U-turn and do exactly that.
London Assembly Member Peter Fortune said that in May 2021 he asked the Mayor directly: “”Do you have any plans to extend the Ultra-Low Emission Zone to the Outer London boundary, and if so, when would this be likely to happen?”
Mr Khan replied in July that year: “I have no plans to extend the ULEZ to outer London”.
For good measure, the Mayor added such a policy would not be effective in tackling air quality.
“Air quality on the remaining roads will be more effectively addressed through targeted, local measures. I believe that this strikes the right balance to deliver the biggest air quality improvements as quickly as possible.”
This afternoon, Tory Mayoral candidate Susan Hall told the Express that Sadiq Khan is once again repeating his denials despite plans to do the opposite.
Ms Hall said: “Sadiq Khan pretended ULEZ expansion was not on the agenda, until it was. Now he is doing the same for his plans to charge motorists for every mile they drive, which TfL has openly admitted it is working on.
“As Mayor, I will stop all development on Sadiq Khan’s pay per mile scheme.”
Last night, Transport Secretary Mark Harper wrote to Sadiq Khan warning that the Government will back an amendment in the forthcoming Levelling Up Bill that would ensure councillors can block future Labour plans to use air pollution as an “attempt to justify” charges on drivers.
The London ULEZ will expand to cover the whole of Greater London on Tuesday, after a number of Tory councils failed in their efforts to get the courts to block the move.
Sadiq Khan has declared Tuesday a “landmark day”.
