Sadiq Khan blames Boris Johnson for Ulez extension: Mayor says he inherited his predecessor’s policy

Sadiq Khan has blamed his predecessor Boris Johnson for his controversial ultra-low emission zone plans to expand the car charging zone across Greater London.

The expansion of the scheme to the outskirts of London, which will take place to cover the entire capital from August 29, is aimed at reducing the amount of air pollution in London.

London’s mayor has faced backlash over the expansion, which will drag millions more into the orbit of paying £12.50 a day to pollute.

However, despite the uproar it has caused, Khan said youthe Telegraph that people tend not to pay attention to it during their daily travels. He said: ‘It’s that very British thing, people just keep reading their paper or their phone.

“Sometimes someone asks for a selfie or there’s a thumbs up, or ‘keep it up.'”

The ultra-low emission zone will be extended in August to cover all of Greater London

What is surprising is that no one has approached him about the ultra-low emission zone, he added: ‘No, I can’t think of a time when that has happened.’

Plans to extend the ULEZ aroused questions from the public who argue that politics is putting even more pressure on those dealing with the cost of living crisis.

During a public meeting last week at Ealing town hall, the mayor was greeted by angry protesters, some of whom represented him with a swastika and a hammer and sickle.

He told the meeting: ‘Some of those outside are part of the extreme right,

‘Some are Covid deniers. Some are vaccine deniers. And some are conservative.

Angry members of the public reportedly responded, “We’re not far-right, normal people aren’t far-right.”

Responding to comments made last week, Khan said: “What I mean is that there were decent people, including conservatives, who had legitimate objections, and I’m not sure these decent people realized that supporting them was a conspiracy”. theorists and people with swastikas.

However, Khan has claimed that he is not to blame for the policy, as he “stole” Boris Johnson’s idea.

Protesters took to the streets of London calling for the proposed ‘Khanage’ to be stopped

Khan has claimed that he is not to blame for the policy as he ‘stole’ Boris Johnson’s idea.

He said: ‘In 2013, Johnson announced that he would do an Ulez. But he did that classic thing that politicians do; he announced something that he let other politicians do. I’ll see it through.’

Since their introduction in 2019, low emission zones have cut harmful pollution levels in central London by almost half and nitrogen dioxide levels in central London by 46% in the last 12 months.

According to a study by Imperial College, each year 4,000 people die prematurely from poor air quality.

He says: ‘He is an invisible killer. And when he looks at those 4,000 deaths, the largest number are on the outskirts of London, where there are larger numbers of older people for whom poor air quality makes them more susceptible to heart disease and other factors. In London, 500,000 people suffer from asthma and respiratory problems.’

The mayor’s acts will reduce the number of air quality-related hospital admissions by one million by 2050, helping to save the NHS and social care system £5bn.

He went on to add how the policy will save the NHS £10.5 billion as it will not treat people with asthma and respiratory problems.

Khan added: “The CBI says it will save businesses £1.6bn a year because staff won’t be sick with respiratory problems.”

Although the ULEZ has been celebrated as a way to address climate change, it has been criticized for putting even more pressure on those dealing with the cost of living crisis.