Leak reveals two-thirds oppose Sadiq Khan's Ulez expansion

Sadiq Khan’s plans to impose an ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) across all of Greater London have been plunged into turmoil after leaked consultation results reveal two-thirds of respondents oppose the controversial expansion.

The Telegraph has seen “restricted” Transport for London (TfL) documents that show 66pc of Londoners oppose the mayor’s plans to combat air pollution in the outer boroughs of the capital.

The count was circulated among senior TfL officials shortly after the consultation closed on Jul 29 and before responses were evaluated by project teams, senior TfL sources said.

Separate slides circulated by officials in August, also seen by this newspaper, provide greater clarity on voting following interim screening of responses.

While outright opposition fell to around 60pc, a further 7.6pc said the introduction of a levy should be delayed until “later”.

Only 31.8pc of respondents said expansion of Ulez should go ahead according to the August TfL memorandum, with the remaining votes for "Don't know".

In May, Mr Khan announced plans for an expansion of the Ulez zone to the outskirts of the capital, leaving tens of thousands of drivers at risk of having to pay a £12.50-a-day charge to use their car. The scheme is due to come into force in August 2023.

Seen as the Labour mayor’s flagship legacy project, the Ulez expansion followed the death of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, a nine-year-old girl who was the first to have air pollution listed as a cause of death following an asthma attack.

Ulez critics, however, say that the £250m cost of building a network of cameras across the capital to enforce the scheme will do little to reduce pollution and will unfairly impact lower income households - whose cars are older and more likely to be non-compliant.

They also argue that an estimated more than four in five cars are already Ulez-compliant, meaning it would have negligible impact on air quality in areas where public transport is far less prevalent compared with inner London.

Nevertheless, Mr Khan has vowed to press ahead with Ulez expansion unless the public overwhelmingly rejects his proposals.

He said earlier this year: “It’s a genuine consultation – as were the previous two consultations in relation to the central London Ultra-Low Emission Zone and the expansion. I hope Londoners who care about the health of their families will respond.”

The leaked document suggests Mr Khan may be forced to abandon the policy given the public response.

Questions remain as to the precise definition of "overwhelming", however.

The figures seen by the Telegraph are understood to have changed between the end of July and middle of August because previously uncounted votes were added, and responses deemed duplicate or not genuine were removed as a review process is conducted.

Earlier this month, Janet Daby, Labour MP for Lewisham East, accused motorist groups of “dirty tricks” to skew voting.

TfL insiders said that pre-filled one-click templates - at the heart of Ms Daby's accusations - were being used by campaigners on both sides of the argument.

The reduction in the opposition vote in the figures leaked to the Telegraph risks Mr Khan facing claims that more stringent screening of one-click templates was being applied to opposition votes.

Bob Blackman, Conservative MP for Harrow East, whose constituency will be dragged into the proposed Ulez expansion, called on Mr Khan to show the public that the consultation had not been pre-determined in any way.

"We need complete transparency about the reasons votes are being filtered out and what oversight there is to ensure that the consultation is being conducted fairly,” he said.

"The mayor must publish the unfiltered voting results and explain how many votes were subsequently removed - and for what reasons - when the final outcome is published."

A spokesman for Mr Khan denied the mayor would influence the results of the consultation.

They added: "Independent consultation analysis is ongoing and a full consultation report will be published in due course.

“The Mayor is proud of tackling the capital’s toxic air, which currently leads to 4,000 Londoners dying early every year and millions more suffering from asthma and other respiratory illnesses.

“It’s clear this has been the focus of a coordinated campaign of opposition by drivers' groups... from thousands of people who do not live or work in London.

"It’s important that the views of all Londoners are taken into account as we move forward."

A spokesman for TfL said: “We take our responsibility to run robust and legally compliant consultations extremely seriously.

"We are using an independent third party to analyse every consultation response we have received, a process that is still ongoing.

"The results will help to shape any scheme that is taken forward. When finalised we will publish a full report that will set out our response to the issues raised by those that took part.”

London Assembly Member Nick Rogers, transport spokesman for the Conservatives, said: “Sadiq Khan’s Ulez expansion would have had a negligible effect on air quality, but would have been devastating for small businesses and low income families.

“I am not surprised that an overwhelming 66pc voted against his cost of living charge, which will force him to drop the policy. Londoners will be shocked by the Telegraph’s revelations on the Ulez expansion consultation.

"Sadiq Khan must reassure them by confirming he will now scrap the Ulez expansion and address the serious integrity concerns raised by the investigation.”