Boris Johnson has attacked Sadiq Khan and his “bone-headed” plans to expand London’s ultra-low emissions zone (Ulez) in his latest Daily Mail column.
The former prime minister, who came up with the initial Ulez scheme when he was mayor of London, has labeled Mr Khan’s plans to expand it to cover most of Greater London on August 29 as “insane” and “so transparently wrong and unnecessary”.
Drivers of older petrol or diesel cars have to pay Transport for London (TfL) £12.50 for every day they cross into, or move within, the Ulez zone in a bid to improve air quality.
On Friday Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer backed Mr Khan over his expansion proposal, telling LBC: “I accept that the mayor has no choice but to go ahead because of the legal obligation on him.”.
But Mr Johnson suggested that the Labour party has “started to crack” and failed to explain and convincingly support the Ulez expansion.
It comes after Labour candidate Danny Beales in Uxbridge and South Ruislip - Mr Johnson’s former constituency - called for a delay to the zone’s extension due to the rising cost of living, despite previously defending the policy.
In his Daily Mail column published online on Friday evening, Mr Johnson wrote: “It is the sheer bone-headed cruelty of Sadiq Khan’s scheme — rushed in with only nine months’ consultation — that is causing such indignation; and it is that indignation that is fomenting the panic in Labour ranks.”
He added: “If not even Keir Starmer will wholeheartedly back Labour’s new tax on driving, then surely the thing is doomed.”
Taking a swipe at Mr Khan next, the former Mayor of London said he has “so badly mismanaged the finances of Transport for London” and accused him of needing to “balance the books”.
Mr Johnson then appeared to accuse Mr Khan of using a driver and “protection” while in the role.
“When I was mayor I had no driver, and no protection. I cycled to work every day, producing zero emissions of any kind. Let’s get Khan out of his limo and out of City Hall,” he wrote.
“When I became mayor of London in 2008, the world economy had just gone off a cliff because of the banking crisis. So I did the sensible thing — I protected white van man, and protected the economy, by postponing the next step of the ULEZ; and we still achieved great reductions in pollution.”
The Conservatives - rocked by Mr Johnson’s resignation - hope to win support in Uxbridge by capitalising on residents’ opposition to the Ulez expansion.
The new borders will reach Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey.
Conservative-led councils challenged the move in a hearing at the High Court this week and are waiting on Mr Justice Swift’s ruling.
There have been calls from other Labour MPs, such as Clive Efford and Jon Cruddas, to delay the expansion and improve its associated scrappage scheme.
But Mr Starmer said it was “right” for the Uxbridge candidate to “stand up” for his potential constituents but argued Mr Khan had been left with no “wriggle room” on the issue.
The Opposition leader told LBC he recognised that the move would cause “pain” and it would be “a lot of money” for motorists to have to pay during the current cost-of-living crisis.
But he said it was “important to make clear” that there was a “legal obligation on the mayor to take measures” in relation to air pollution.
Pressed on whether he supported the call from Labour MPs to delay the rollout, Sir Keir replied: “My experience of the mayor is he always listens to these overtures and that is why he has asked for more money on scrappage.
“I’ve looked at it myself, looked at the legal provision.
“I think it is difficult to say you could simply ignore the legal requirement to do something about this, so the mayor in fairness is between a rock and a hard place on this.”
Mr Starmer suggested Mr Khan would have likely faced legal action from air pollution campaigners if he had opted not to extend Ulez.
Mr Khan is looking to become the first politician to be elected London mayor three times at next year’s election, with the Tories in the process of choosing who their candidate will be to rival the former minister.
A source close to the Mayor said: “This is utter nonsense from the disgraced former Mayor. It was Boris Johnson who first announced the introduction of the Ulez to tackle air pollution, and around 4,000 Londoners still die prematurely every year as a result of toxic air.
“Boris Johnson also made the woeful deal with Government to remove TfL’s entire operational grant at a cost of nearly £1 billion a year.”
The ULEZ expansion is expected to lose money after three years. TfL’s latest budget shows that it will achieve an operating surplus in 2023/24.
