The Government has today announced that it will be supporting a law to overturn the most recent expansion of the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) to the borders of Greater London, and put restrictions in place on any future expansion by the Labour Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
This is extremely welcome news for my constituents impacted by the Mayor's expansionist policy. The ULEZ tax on drivers is a regressive levy on the lowest-paid, has minimal impact on air pollution, and severely damages the livelihoods of London's commuting workers such as tradespeople and carers.
I opposed the Mayor's expansions of the ULEZ in 2021 and, most recently, in August last year. The first split my constituency in half, impacting drivers in the south, whilst last year's expansion forced all of my constituents with older vehicles to pay a daily charge of £12.50 to use their community's roads.
For people living in suburban London, where public transport links are not at the same level as those in central London, the ULEZ expansion was an unacceptable infringement on their lives, one that I'm happy the Government will be seeking to rectify.
As the Transport Secretary has rightly said, the best thing for Londoners who object to ULEZ expansion to do is elect Susan Hall as Mayor in May, who will immediately overturn the expansion.
