Boris Johnson has attacked London mayor Sadiq Khan’s “odious” Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) scheme, as Labour suffer a split on the key issue at the Uxbridge by-election.
Sir Keir Starmer has backed Mr Khan’s planned expansion of Ulez to outer London – despite Labour’s Uxbridge candidate Danny Beales speaking out against the Labour mayor’s extension.
However – despite Tory efforts to make the July 20 byelection a “referendum” on Ulez – the first poll in the constituency has revealed an eight-point lead for Labour.
Mr Johnson, who sparked the byelection by resigning in fury over MPs’ damning Partygate report, has attacked the scheme charging drivers £12.50-a-day charge as an “odious, unjustified tax on driving”.
In his latest column for The Mail – dismissed as “total nonsense” by Mr Khan’s camp – the former PM attacked the “bone-headed cruelty” of the charge aimed at lowering emissions and improving air quality.
Mr Johnson claimed Ulez would “blight the lives not just of the classic car enthusiasts” but also of “the white van men who are the red corpuscles in the lifeblood of the economy”.
The former Tory leader said the issue was causing “panic in Labour ranks” – claiming Mr Beales had “welshed on Khan” and “ratted on official Labour policy” out of desperation.
Claiming his old nemesis Sir Keir had “floundered” in explaining why Mr Khan had to press ahead, Mr Johnson said those supporting the scheme become “bereft of speech, or reduced to babble”.
The Labour leader told LBC earlier on Friday that Mr Khan “had to take action” due to the legal requirement on him to improve London’s air quality. “I accept that the mayor has no choice but to go ahead because of the legal obligation on him,” he told a caller.
In November announced his intention to extend Ulez, a scheme originally introduced by Mr Johnson for central London, to all of London’s boroughs, enlarging it beyond the North and South Circular roads.
If it goes ahead, the extended Ulez will see drivers in outer London pay a £12.50 daily fee from 29 August if their vehicles do not meet the required emissions standards.
The new borders will reach Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey. But Conservative-led councils challenged the move in a hearing at the High Court this week and are waiting on Mr Justice Swift’s ruling.
Earlier this week Labour’s Uxbridge candidate told a byelection debate: “It’s not the right time to extend the Ulez scheme to outer London – it’s just not.”
Mr Beales said he could not support the Ulez expansion until the government and the mayor’s office go “much further” with support for struggling families and a £110m scrappage scheme.
Labour are strongly expected to overturn Mr Johnson’s 7,000 majority at the byelection. But the Ulez issue appears to be causing the party real difficulty in the north-west London suburb.
One MP who has been door-knocking in Uxbridge told Politico: “It was horrible. I’m talking doors shut in your face level”, adding: “They all hate Sadiq. Just ask any taxi driver.”
However, a new poll by JL Partners will offer comfort to Sir Keir’s team. Mr Beales is on 41 per cent, eight-points ahead of Tory rival Steve Tuckwell on 33 per cent.
“As things stand, Labour are set to win Uxbridge,” said James Johnson, of JL Partners. But he added that “it is not inconceivable that the Conservatives could narrow the gap in the coming days”.
Responding to Mr Johnson’s column, a source close to Mr Khan told The Independent: “This is utter nonsense from the disgraced former Mayor.
Starmer and Rachel Reeves campaigning with Danny Beales in Uxbridge
