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Writer's pictureLondon Fact Check

Fact Check: No, the government did not force Sadiq Khan to expand ULEZ

The claim:

That the government forced Sadiq Khan to implement the ULEZ expansion as a condition of the Transport for London (TfL) funding agreement.


Analysis:

This is inaccurate and misleading.


The claim is based on a letter from May 2020, which sets out the agreement that TfL and the Department for Transport (DfT) reached in exchange for a government bailout.


As part of the agreement, Sadiq Khan agreed to take further steps to ensure TfL would be financially sustainable in the future.


It was the Mayor's proposal and his decision in 2021 to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to the North and South Circular Roads, to raise extra money for TfL and improve its finances. It was not a requirement from the government.


Sadiq Khan's subsequent decision to expand ULEZ to the whole of Greater London was also not a requirement of the TfL deal. In fact, the government explicitly told the Mayor in the final settlement letter (August 2022) that he was not allowed to use the bailout money on the ULEZ expansion.

Sadiq Khan also confirmed that he was the decision maker at Mayor's Question Time in July 2022:

It is therefore not accurate to claim that the government has forced Sadiq Khan to expand ULEZ, or that it is a condition of the TfL funding deal.




8 Comments


John Pilkington
John Pilkington
Aug 04, 2023

When Neil Garrat asked Khan who was responsible for expanding ULEZ, he didnt respond ' Grant Shapps of course'

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M Moseley
M Moseley
Jul 30, 2023

#NeverLabour

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Andrew Banner
Andrew Banner
Jul 27, 2023

You think I trust the conservatives fact checking anything? The party has decades of form for being dishonest. It didn't start with Johnson and it's not ended with him either. Your "facts" above arte selective and deliberately obfuscate the truth.

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TRT 1968
TRT 1968
Jul 21, 2023

Hm. I read sections 12d and 12h of that letter linked to as saying EXACTLY that he had to accelerate the Active Travel Plan, which included LTNs and reintroduce immediately road charging and expansion of the ULEZ.

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Stuart McLean
Stuart McLean
Jul 22, 2023
Replying to

Indeed. Or perhaps the "Fact Check" author can explain how they interpret "urgently bring forward proposals to widen the

scope and levels of these charges" as being anything other than increasing the amount being paid and the number of people doing the paying.

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Thaumaturge IsHere
Thaumaturge IsHere
May 06, 2023

Hmm...not sure that I would trust this source.

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