Tory MP Gareth Johnson has introduced a Private Members Bill to the Commons today, aiming to overturn the controversial Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion into Greater London.
Mr. Johnson voiced his opinion that London Mayor Sadiq Khan lacks a mandate for the expansion, impacting those outside London who cannot vote for or against the mayor. He criticised the ULEZ as “taxation without accountability,” hitting lower-income individuals the hardest.
The move has garnered support from FairFuelUK, a motorists’ pressure group which boasts 1.7 million members. Howard Cox, founder of FairFuelUK, echoed the sentiment, calling the extension a “cash-grabbing” scheme.
‘People Did Not Want It’
Mr. Johnson said yesterday: “My bill gives Parliament the opportunity to overturn this expansion. The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has no mandate for this. Expanding ULEZ was not in his manifesto or in his transport strategy, and the consultation on the expansion showed that people did not want it.”Mr. Cox, who is standing for Reform UK as a London mayoral candidate next year, added, “It is way past time, hard-pressed Londoners rid themselves of this dishonest opportunistic career politician, who also brings the Labour Party into disrepute.”
Speaking to GB News yesterday, Mr. Johnson stated: “The ULEZ expansion, when it was brought in without any kind of mandate from Sadiq Khan.
“He didn’t put it in his manifesto when he stood as mayor. He didn’t have it in his transport strategy and even his consultation showed that people were against it.
“So this is a cruel form of taxation imposed on people outside of London of course, who don’t vote in or out the London mayor.
MP Labels ULEZ an ‘Attack’
Tory MP Andrew Rosindell criticised ULEZ as an “attack” on working individuals, emphasising the need for parliamentary intervention. The MP for Romford told The Epoch Times: “ULEZ is an attack on and an insult to every working man and woman in ‘Greater London.’ The sooner Parliament intervenes, the sooner the people of ‘Greater London’ can feel an ease during what is already a tough period of economic hardship, as a result of two years of lockdowns and gross overspending.”Mr. Cox emphasised this perspective, saying, “Mayor Khan’s fixation with an alleged air quality improvement scheme that not only needlessly fleeces drivers, sole traders, and low-income motorists, it also rips at least half a billion pounds out of the Capital’s economy every year.”
Downing Street’s potential support for the bill adds a significant dimension to the ongoing debate over the ULEZ expansion.
A spokesperson for the prime minister said, “We will consider the detail once it is introduced.”
A senior ally of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and prominent member of the House of Lords, Stephen Greenhalgh, told The Epoch Times that “anything to stop this blatant TfL [Transport for London] cash grab has my wholehearted support.”
Londoners Missing Out on Scrappage Scheme
The news comes after it was revealed last week that over 12,000 Londoners seeking financial assistance for car upgrades to comply with Sadiq Khan’s expanded ULEZ restrictions have faced repeated denials of grant funding, according to data from TfL.It was also found that in the first month of London’s ULEZ expansion, around 60,000 vehicle owners paid the £12.50 daily charge.
Figures by TfL showed that since August 29, there were 93,700 vehicles driving in London on an average day that didn’t meet ULEZ standards.
Around 36 percent of these vehicles were exempt. The drivers of the remaining number—approximately 60,000 vehicles—had to pay the fee for driving a non-compliant car.
