Sadiq Khan condemns ULEZ protesters as far right

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has described protesters rallying against the ultra-low emanation portion enlargement arsenic acold right, Covid deniers and Tories.

He was holding a People's Question Time lawsuit astatine Ealing Town Hall connected Thursday erstwhile demonstrators gathered outside.

It is simply a accidental to quiz the politician and London Assembly members connected assorted topics, but ULEZ dominated the meeting.

A spokesperson said Mr Khan's remarks were made successful narration to radical holding placards with far-right motifs.

Currently motorists who usage the astir polluting cars person to wage £12.50 a time if they thrust successful London's congestion zone, which is wrong the capital's North and South Circular Roads.

The expansion, acceptable to hap successful August, volition mean that the full of the superior is wrong the ULEZ area.

Amid heckles from immoderate assemblage members wrong Ealing Town Hall successful westbound London, Mr Khan said: "What I find unacceptable is immoderate of those who've got morganatic objections [about ULEZ] joining hands with immoderate of those outside, who are portion of a far-right group."

He added: "Let's beryllium frank, let's telephone a spade a spade. Some of those extracurricular are portion of the acold right. Some are Covid deniers, immoderate are vaccine deniers and immoderate are Tories."

As the politician said this, an assemblage subordinate called out: "We are not the acold right, mean radical are not the acold right."

Some of the protesters extracurricular the municipality hallway gathering connected Thursday evening were seen with placards saying the enlargement would beryllium an "end of escaped movement" and cited a "UN agenda".

One placard, a photograph of which was supplied to the BBC by the mayor's office, depicted Mr Khan successful an representation including a swastika and a hammer-and-sickle symbol.

Piers Corbyn was besides contiguous extracurricular the municipality hall, though determination is nary proposition helium was holding an violative placard. Mr Corbyn, the member of erstwhile Labour person Jeremy, is known for his views that that the coronavirus pandemic was a hoax and that Covid vaccines are dangerous.

Mr Khan aboriginal told the People's Question Time event: "There are radical with morganatic concerns. We're seeking to code those, and we'll marque definite we transportation connected listening, to marque the ULEZ a success."

Conservative assembly subordinate Peter Fortune deed backmost astatine Mr Khan, prompting cheers from immoderate members of the assemblage erstwhile helium said: "You heard it, didn't you? If you disagree with the mayor, he's going to overgarment you arsenic acold right.

"If you disagree with the mayor, he's going to accidental you're a subject denier, he's going to accidental you're a Covid denier, he's going to accidental you're a level earther, he's going to accidental you deliberation determination are aliens successful Buckingham Palace, and Mr Blobby changeable Kennedy.

"He's going to propulsion each this worldly astatine you, due to the fact that helium doesn't privation to code the information you've got morganatic concerns."

One assemblage subordinate challenged Mr Khan implicit the information that the ULEZ enlargement was not included successful his 2021 predetermination manifesto, portion different questions were acrophobic with however overmuch grounds determination was to enactment the assertion that the strategy would trim pollution.

Reacting to Mr Khan's comments later, person of the City Hall Conservatives Susan Hall said: "Sadiq Khan behaved appallingly astatine People's Question Time, smearing radical who person superior concerns astir his ULEZ plans arsenic acold right, and being frankly dishonest astir his grounds and the London Assembly members who scrutinise him."

A spokesperson for Mr Khan said: "The politician wholly stands by his determination to telephone retired the vile banners connected show extracurricular the lawsuit successful Ealing.

"Those who came to protestation included immoderate of astir unsafe spreaders of vaccine conspiracy theories and radical displaying Nazi symbols. Whether successful London oregon successful immoderate different portion of the country, unsafe conspiracy theories and abhorrent far-right enactment should ever beryllium condemned successful the strongest imaginable form."

Mr Khan argues that five cardinal much Londoners volition respire cleaner air if the ULEZ enlargement covers the full of the capital. Citing probe commissioned by City Hall, Mr Khan says 4,000 premature deaths a twelvemonth successful London are owed successful portion to mediocre aerial quality.

Susana Mendonça, BBC Radio London governmental reporter

This outburst from Sadiq Khan is simply a hard connection for him to sell, due to the fact that helium appears to beryllium saying that radical who protestation against his ULEZ enlargement are aligning themselves with the close wing.

Some volition spot that arsenic the politician trying to unopen down morganatic statement from those who are acrophobic astir ULEZ enlargement for each sorts of reasons, from the fiscal impact, to the shortage of nationalist transport links successful outer London compared with interior London.

Others volition constituent to the uncomfortable world for the politician of London that determination is simply a increasing swell of absorption to the ULEZ coming from immoderate connected his ain side.

Some Labour MPs successful outer boroughs person already spoken retired against it. Some Labour councils successful London person expressed concern; adjacent a commercialized national precocious warned astir the interaction connected low-paid Heathrow workers of introducing the £12.50 a time complaint for older, much polluting vehicles.

Some Liberal Democrats person besides said the task needs a amended scrappage strategy and amended transport links earlier it's rolled retired successful August. None of those critics could beryllium described arsenic "right wing".

By bunching London's Conservatives successful with the "far right" and "conspiracy theorists", Sadiq Khan is improbable to amended his already-strained relationship with respective Conservative-run London boroughs.

Additional reporting by Noah Vickers, Local Democracy Reporting Service