new law that could give the Government the power to overturn the Ultra Low Emission Zone expansion to Greater London is to be raised in Parliament.
Plans that would allow Transport Secretary Mark Harper to veto decisions by the London Mayor Sadiq Khan will be proposed by Theresa Villiers on Wednesday.
The Tory MP wants to amend the Greater London Authority Act so the Government can review City Hall plans relating to transport and clean air zones, including the Ulez.
Introducing her Ten-Minute rule Bill, the former Environment Secretary is expected to say: “In my 18 years as MP, almost nothing has provoked such strong opposition as the Mayor of London’s plan to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone.
“It comes up on almost every doorstep and at almost every meeting. People stop me in the street to tell me how strongly they feel about this.
“That is why I am bringing forward a Bill to give the Government power to overrule Mayor Khan and stop ULEZ expansion.
“Of course, we need to continue to improve air quality in London but this is the wrong scheme at the wrong time.”
Almost 700,000 more drivers in London will have to pay the £12.50 Ulez levy if they use their car when the scheme expands on August 29, according to RAC analysis of figures from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
New research by the Tory party suggests that more than 1.2 million cars in the capital’s commuter belt will also be hit by the expansion.
DVLA data shows that Reading, Guildford, and Tunbridge Wells are among the worst affected areas, with a total of more than 135,000, 131,000, and 124,000 non-complaint vehicles respectively.
TfL believes that fewer than 200,000 additional motorists a day – including van drivers and motorcyclists – will be liable to pay the Ulez levy for the first time from August.
Its numbers are based on camera analysis of the vehicles currently driving in the outer “doughnut” expansion area.
Five Conservative-run councils cleared the first hurdle of their legal fight against the widening of Ulez last month.
A High Court judge ruled that an application from Bexley, Bromley, Harrow, Hillingdon and Surrey Councils for a judicial review into the scheme should proceed to a full hearing in July.
There have also been reports of masked vigilantes tearing down cameras which have been put up to police the zone.
City Hall in January launched a £110 million scrappage scheme for those wanting to upgrade their cars, drawing money from City Hall’s reserves.
Mr Khan has argued that air in every London borough breaches World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on the toxic pollutant nitrogen dioxide.
City Hall analysis found the single highest concentration of nitrogen dioxide was found on Harlesden High Street, in Brent, where 116.5 µg/m3 was measured on average.
A spokesman for the Mayor said: “The decision to expand the Ulez was not an easy one, but around 4,000 Londoners die every year as a result of poor quality air, and it contributes to a range of health conditions from asthma, to cancer, to dementia.
“The Ulez has had a transformational impact cleaning up the air in inner and central London, and people in Sutton deserve to breathe cleaner air too.
“Nine out of 10 cars in outer London are already Ulez compliant. For vehicles that aren’t the Mayor has introduced the biggest vehicle scrappage scheme of any city in the UK.”
