Sadiq Khan denies Ulez is a cash grab as it expands to cover all of London and furious protesters descend on No10

29 August 2023, 12:11 | Updated: 29 August 2023, 14:42

Sadiq Khan has expanded Ulez to cover all of London
Sadiq Khan has expanded Ulez to cover all of London. Picture: Alamy

By Will Taylor

Sadiq Khan has denied Ulez is a cash grab, insisting its expansion is vital to reduce air pollution in London.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Furious protesters descended on Downing Street - though the government insists it cannot intervene - to vent their fury at the policy.

Khan has ploughed on with it despite intense opposition, including from within his own party.

Earlier, LBC was told by transport secretary Mark Harper that the environmental charge's expansion was effectively a stealth tax, attacking "hard-pressed Londoners".

Khan has now hit back at Mark Harper, telling LBC's James O'Brien: "It was possible for me to do a cash grab, had I acceded to the demand from Grant Shapps... [when he was transport secretary] which was to expand the congestion charge to raise revenues for TfL.

Angry protesters voiced their anger outside Downing Street
Angry protesters voiced their anger outside Downing Street. Picture: Alamy

"I said no to that, because that would have been a cash grab. I also said no when they demanded of me that I immediately expand the Ulez before we had a scrappage scheme, before we had a consultation.

"The only reason we're expanding Ulez is because it's been shown to improve the quality of air."

All of London is now covered by the scheme, which Khan says is vital to lowering air pollution in the capital and preventing premature deaths.

Drivers will need to pay a daily £12.50 charge to drive their vehicles if they aren't compliant with Ulez.

London's Ultra Low Emission Zone Expands To All Boroughs
London's Ultra Low Emission Zone Expands To All Boroughs. Picture: Getty

Tuesday's expansion began with Transport for London's number plate checker website, which allows drivers to see if their car is compliant with Ulez, crashing on Tuesday morning.

A camera in Bromley, south London, was covered with red paint in a protest - after months of anti-Ulez activists vandalising the devices which scan the plates of cars.

And councils outside London refuse to put up Ulez signs in opposition to the scheme.

Khan has ploughed on with the Ulez expansion despite fierce opposition
Khan has ploughed on with the Ulez expansion despite fierce opposition. Picture: Alamy

Earlier on LBC, transport secretary Mark Harper said the government has "carefully" looked at blocking the expansion but conceded it was a decision for Mr Khan.

"I don't have the powers to block it, this is a decision for the Mayor of London," he told LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast.

“[Mr Khan] says he's doing air quality reasons but if you look at his own impact assessment, it makes it clear it will only have a minor to negligible effect on air quality.

"It's not about air quality, it's about raising money from hard-pressed Londoners and that is why we don't support it. But we don't have the power to block it."

Ulez has even triggered a fight within Labour, as Sir Keir Starmer warned against imposing environmental policies that hit the worst-off in the wake of a by-election defeat to the Tories.

A Ulez sign has been defaced
A Ulez sign has been defaced. Picture: Alamy

Rishi Sunak's party managed to cling onto Boris Johnson's old seat of Uxbridge and Ruislip despite a nationwide swing away from the Conservatives after they turned that campaign into a referendum on Ulez.

And on Tuesday, Labour's shadow minister for employment rights said it would be an "expense too many" given the cost of living crisis.

"I think he probably needs to be listening to some of the callers you've been having on and how it's affecting them, and think about whether this really is the right time to be going ahead with it," Justin Madders told LBC.

Khan has earmarked tens of millions to help expand a scrappage scheme that will allow Londoners, charities and businesses to put money towards a new car if theirs isn't compliant.

The mayor's office said: "There have already been more than 15,000 applications received since 21 August, and nearly £6m of new funds committed to Londoners. The number of scrappage applications for cars and motorcycles since 21 August is up more than 1,000 per cent on the previous week."

More than 14,000 applications have been approved as £60m was committed to help scrappages.

Caller: ULEZ expansion will kill London's economy

Everyone in the capital whose car does not meet emissions standards will be eligible for a £2,000 grant from August 21.

Small businesses and sole traders will be able to claim up to £21,000 to scrap as many as three vans and get them replaced.

Charities can get up to £27,000 to scrap three minibuses as City Hall hailed "the most generous scrappage scheme ever seen in the UK".

But opposition has proved to be very heavy, with self-described "blade runners" going as far as out ripping down cameras.

On Tuesday, as the expansion kicked in, one device in Bromley was daubed in red paint while a sign was defaced.

Neighbouring Tory councils have refused to allow Ulez signs to be put up in their areas.

Cameras have even needed to be armoured up to stop them being damaged.

A total of 288 crimes related to Ulez cameras have been recorded by the Met, including 185 instances of cables being damaged, 164 cameras being stolen and 38 reports of the devices getting obscured.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Exclusive
The former Deputy Foreign Secretary said: “Many countries in Europe are simply not spending anywhere near, in percentage terms, what America is spending.

UK needs to ‘spend less on welfare and more on defence’ to support Ukraine, former Deputy Foreign Secretary tells LBC

Craig and Lindsay Foreman

British couple detained in Iran pictured for the first time as family break silence on 'distressing situation'

The Jet2 plane was forced to divert.

Jet2 plane bound for UK makes emergency landing after passenger dies on board

he Philadelphia Eagles celebrate in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art during the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl Championship Parade on February 14, 2025

Two women shot and injured during Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl victory parade, police say

Social media footage showed a man being kicked on the ground by his knife-wielding attacker.

Two charged by police after shock footage shows man kicked and spat at by knifeman after ‘burning Koran’ in London

Jannik Sinner

World tennis number one Jannik Sinner handed three-month ban for doping

Keith Edun, 47, used the messaging app “Kik” to spread vile images of children

Predator who encouraged man to rape a baby after sharing vile images of children online is jailed for 21 years

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during the 61st Munich Security Conference on February 15, 2025 in Munich, Germany.

Zelenskyy calls for creation of ‘European army’ as he warns Russia 'will pull Europe apart' if not defeated

The woman who said she was raped by rappers and business moguls Jay-Z and Sean "Diddy" Combs in 2000, when she was 13, has dropped her civil lawsuit against both men.

Woman who accused Jay-Z and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs of raping her when she was 13 drops lawsuit

Liam Payne died last Wednesday.

One Direction star Liam Payne was 'sectioned' after near-fatal overdose months before death, close friend claims

Hamas hands over 3 Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip to Red Cross

Israeli hostages paraded on stage before being freed as four Palestinian prisoners released in 'critical condition'

uk british national lottery euromillions ticket with picks

Winning numbers revealed as single UK EuroMillions ticket holder scoops massive £65million Valentine’s Day jackpot

Breaking
Emergency services were called just after 7pm on Friday amid reports a woman had suffered serious injuries

Woman dies after Valentine's Day shooting at village pub as murder probe launched

Rob and Lindsey Burrow a few weeks before he died

Rob Burrow's wife reveals heartbreaking moment she knew rugby league star 'couldn't go on' with MND struggle

Axel Rudakubana will be 'target number one' in prison

Southport killer Axel Rudakubana's sentence won't be referred to Court of Appeal despite claims it's 'unduly lenient'

The damaged shield

'Risk of radioactive leak' after Russian 'high explosive' drone hits Chernobyl, causing 'significant damage'