Khan’s low emission ‘tax’ attacked on grounds that poor will have to pay it

London’s mayor claimed in The Times that his new Ultra Low Emission Zone will help the poorest members of society, but not every media commentator agreed with him, largely for economic reasons. Rik Thomas reports

On 2 April London mayor Sadiq Khan used a column in The Times to justify the introduction of an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in the capital the following week. “The air in London is a killer,” he began, clearly intending to pull no punches. “Breathing it increases the chance of cancers, strokes, heart disease, diabetes, dementia and asthma.

“We know that one of the primary causes of air pollution is filthy fumes from diesel cars, buses, vans motorbikes, lorries and...

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