Sadiq Khan has been criticised for his decision to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone to outer London, with Tory MP Gareth Johnson proposing new legislation to overturn it.
The MP for Dartford will introduce his Private Members Bill to the Commons tomorrow as part of an attempt to overturn the expansion.
Speaking to GB News, Johnson claimed the legislation was brough in “without any kind of mandate from Sadiq Khan”, describing it as a “cruel form of taxation”.
He said: “The Ulez expansion, when it was brought in, brought in without any kind of mandate from Sadiq Khan.
WATCH: Christopher Hope speaks to Gareth Johnson about his Private Members’ Bill
“He didn’t put it in his manifesto when he stood as mayor. He didn’t have it in his transport strategy and even his consultation showed that people were against it.
“So this is a cruel form of taxation imposed on people outside of London of course, who don’t vote in or out the London Mayor.
“So if my bill goes through, it will overturn the expansion and put the boundary back to the South Circular.”
He added: “An awful lot of my constituents have been hit hard by this expansion, particularly businesses as well that have been hit hard by it because they can’t actually get the transport going across the border in the way that they used to.
“Also, people just going about their daily lives, really picking children up from school, hospital appointments, going to the dry cleaners, fish and chip shops and so on.
“They’re the people that have been hit hardest by this.”
The bill will be presented to Parliament on Wednesday.
Johnson told GB News that he has been “constantly talking to transport ministers” ahead of the bill’s introduction to parliament.
Asked whether the Government will support the bill, he said: “The Government and Conservative party hates the Ulez expansion.
“I don’t know of a colleague that will not support this.
“We’re waiting to see whether or not the opposition will try and talk this out – if they don’t, then this bill will go through.
“It will become law and I hope by the summer next year we’ll see this Ulez expansion overturned.”
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Downing Street did not rule out supporting the ban on the expansion of Ulez in Greater London.
When asked yesterday, the PM’s spokesperson said: “We will consider the detail once it is introduced.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CHRISTOPHER HOPE
