Labour must explain why drivers are being hit with ULEZ during cost of living crisis, Rishi Sunak blasts
LABOUR must explain to drivers why they are being clobbered with a ULEZ expansion in such tough times, Rishi Sunak blasted last night.
The PM called out Sadiq Khan for imposing the hated tax grab - and Sir Keir Starmer for failing to condemn it.
Motorists have been raging since the £12.50-a-day charge was rolled out across all London boroughs on Tuesday.
Some have even started to rebel by damaging the cameras or covering over the lenses to avoid being stung.
Asked if he understood their anger, Mr Sunak told GB News: “I do understand the frustration and I think that the Mayor and Keir Starmer and the Labour Party should explain to people why they think the right priority, at a time when people are struggling with the cost of living, is to impose a charge of £12.50 every time they drive into London to see a GP, to the shopping or take their kids to school.
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“I don’t think that’s the right thing to do.”
He appeared to rule out central government support for motorists, saying it is "solely the responsibility of the Labour Party".
Sir Keir urged Mr Khan to “reflect” on the ULEZ expansion following the party’s shock defeat in the Uxbridge byelection, but has stopped short of outright condemning it.
But the Labour Mayor has pressed ahead with the extension despite the backlash, insisting it was a “difficult but necessary” decision to reduce pollution in the city.
He has however shelved an ambition raised in 2018 to ban all petrol and diesel cars driving in central London following the outcry.
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Fury boiled over following this week’s widening of the levy and saw “blade runner” vigilantes wrecking ULEZ cameras.
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith backed the saboteurs, saying: “A lot of people in my constituency have been cementing up the cameras or putting plastic bags over them.
“I am happy for them to do it because they are facing an imposition that no-one wants and they have been lied to about it.”