Expansion: ULEZ has helped to improve air quality in central London. The Tories oppose it
The Evening Standard, not a newspaper which regularly supports London’s Labour Mayor, nor is it known for its fervent support of environmental issues, has come out on the side of Sadiq Khan and plans to extend the Ultra Low Emission Zone – ULEZ – to outer London.
That ULEZ expansion will include Croydon, where air quality monitors regularly show levels of pollutants to be three or four times greater than supposedly legal limits.
And a leader column in the London evening paper last night asserted: “Sadiq Khan is right to put air quality at the heart of his mayoralty.”
The paper effectively accused Theresa Villiers, the MP for Chipping Barnet, of being pro-pollution for bringing a Bill to Parliament which would allow Westminster to over-rule London’s Mayor on ULEZ. “This is not only an affront to devolution, but a plan to actively keep the capital’s air dirty,” the paper said.
It was not so long ago that the Standard was nicknamed the Evening Boris for its fawning support of Khan’s Tory predecessor as London Mayor. Even more recently, the paper had its pages under the rookie editorship of Gideon Osborne, the former Conservative Chancellor.
Pro-pollution: Tory MP Theresa Villiers
So for it to come out now in support of what for some – mostly Tories and the far-right – is a contentious issue could be fairly regarded as a surprise.
ULEZ currently extends as far as the South Circular and the North Circular, but from August it will cover most of Greater London, including Croydon. Under ULEZ rules, those driving within that area with “non-complaint” vehicles will face a £12.50 fee per day.
Most petrol cars produced after January 2006 will be compliant, while diesel vehicles which are Euro 6-compliant will be exempt from ULEZ charges (almost every diesel car produced since September 2015 meets the standard). All electric cars are exempt from ULEZ charges, but hybrids will need to comply with the relevant standards.
It is reckoned that 9-in-10 vehicles currently being used in outer London comply with the ULEZ standards.
In its editorial opinion piece yesterday, the Standard said, “Air pollution continues to blight our city and cost lives — toxic air is linked with cancers, circulatory diseases and strokes. And, according to a new survey, 4-in-10 Londoners are considering moving out of the capital because of it, representing the highest figure in the country.
“That is why Sadiq Khan is right to put air quality at the heart of his mayoralty, and why the Evening Standard supports the extension of the ultra low emission zone to the Greater London boundary, set to come into effect on August 29.
“Of course, not everyone agrees. Conservatives in City Hall have campaigned against it, Tory-run local authorities have taken legal action to try and stop it, while central Government remains hostile. Yet it is still surprising that London MP Theresa Villiers, a former Cabinet minister, has introduced legislation in Parliament to amend the Greater London Authority Act in order to allow ministers to effectively overturn the ULEZ extension.
Motoring U-turn: the normally Conservative-supporting Standard has come out in support of ULEZ expansion
“This is not only an affront to devolution, but a plan to actively keep the capital’s air dirty, with profound consequences. Indeed, toxic air pollution caused by London traffic is leading to nearly 4,000 premature deaths a year, according to City Hall analysis.
“We understand the opposition some feel over the ULEZ expansion, and share the frustration that the Government and City Hall will not provide more funds for the vehicle scrappage scheme.
“But ridding our city of toxic air is the task of this generation of political leaders, and cannot be delayed. Because once we can all enjoy clean air, future Londoners will wonder how we ever lived without it.”
Read more: Ignore ULEZ scare stories – it will reduce traffic and save lives
Read more: Part-time Perry is fiddling over ULEZ while Croydon burns
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