Sadiq Khan has hinted that he could delay the expansion of a controversial road charging scheme after a Labour civil war erupted over the issue.
A source close to the London mayor said he is “listening” to voters and “looking at ways he can address their concerns” after the Tories pulled off a surprise victory in Thursday’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election.
Khan’s decision to expand London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) from next month has been blamed for Labour’s defeat.
Under ULEZ, drivers in the capital are charged £12.50 per day for cars that do not meet strict environmental standards.
It is due to be expanded to cover the whole city - including Uxbridge - by the end of August in an attempt to clean up the capital’s air.
Labour’s defeated by-election candidate, Danny Beales, yesterday said ULEZ had “cut us off at the knees” during the campaign.
Speaking at Labour’s National Policy Forum in Nottingham, he said: “ULEZ is bad policy. It must be rethought.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer told the same meeting: “We are doing something very wrong if policies put forward by the Labour Party end up on each and every Tory leaflet. We’ve got to face up to that and learn the lessons.”
Khan had initially doubled down by insisting clean air is a “human right, not a privilege”.
But in a sign that his position was softening, the mayor quickly deleted a tweet yesterday in which he said politicians needed to act to tackle climate change.
Confirming the apparent change of heart, a source close to Khan this morning said: ”[Uxbridge and South Ruislip] is a disappointing result and Sadiq has been clear he is listening to Londoners following this by-election. The mayor is always looking at ways he can address their concerns.
“Sadiq has always said that expanding the ULEZ was a really difficult decision, but necessary to save the lives of young and vulnerable Londoners.”