“It will hit hardworking families and businesses in outer London with an unfair tax grab.”
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has branded Sadiq Khan’s plans to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) across London a “mad lefty tax” and accused him of bankrupting Transport for London (TfL).
Mr Johnson has spoken up over the controversial scheme, which would see drivers of non-compliant vehicles being charged £12.50 a day.
In a video posted on Twitter, Boris wrote: “It will hit hardworking families and businesses in outer London with an unfair tax grab. That’s why I’m supporting Hillingdon council in their fight against it.”
Mr Johnson went on to say: “I know quite a lot about improving air quality in London. I brought in a lot more cycling, I brought in new hybrid buses, I brought in green electric taxis – and we got nitrous oxide down by 20%, we got PM10s, PM2.5s down by 15%. That was even before we brought in the ULEZ.”
He said: “You do not need an all-London emissions zone, an outer London emissions zone, it’s inner London that has the air quality problem.”
Boris added “by 2030, all new cars in this country are going to be much cleaner and greener anyway.”
Mr Johnson also accused Mayor Khan of mismanaging London’s finances, adding: “There’s only one reason why he’s doing it and that’s because he’s bankrupted TfL and he wants to rake in money from motorists.”
Mr Johnson also shared a letter on Twitter backing Lord Moylan’s proposed amendment to the levelling up bill, which would give boroughs the final say over Khan’s “ruinous cash-grab.”
The former PM added: “Stop this mad lefty tax on people’s lives and livelihoods.”
