London’s last chance to scrap Sadiq Khan’s Ulez expansion

When Sadiq Khan brought in his Ulez expansion, Londoners had to suffer in silence. Over 60 per cent of us voted against it in the official consultation, but, as ever, Sadiq didn’t listen.

Thousands of Londoners attended protests calling for him to stop this appalling tax, but, as ever, Sadiq ignored them. Families have been pushed into debt and small businesses have been forced to close. The devastation it has caused is beyond belief. No one could stop him because Sadiq Khan thinks he is untouchable. Except this Thursday.

On May 2, it’s our one and only chance to stop him. The ballot box is the only voice Sadiq Khan is forced to listen to. We must use it to make sure that our voice is heard. Londoners deserve a mayor who listens. And that’s what I offer. I am listening to Londoners who have been hurt by Sadiq Khan’s Ulez expansion. I am listening to the experts who said it would make next to no difference to air quality in outer London.

That is why I will scrap the Ulez expansion on day one. No ifs, no buts. Immediately, we will remove the £12.50 per day burden from those who can least afford it. I will put Sadiq Khan’s plans for pay-per-mile, his next Ulez, where they belong – and that’s in the bin. It is a proven, verifiable fact that Sadiq Khan has been working on a pay-per-mile system – even spending £21 million building the technology for this new tax. It’s just another way to take Londoners’ money.

It is another way for Sadiq Khan to flex his muscles and tell Londoners that he thinks he can do whatever he wants. This election is our chance to show him he can’t. It is Londoners who are in charge. And with me as their mayor, that is how it will be.

Bread-and-butter issues

My mayoralty will be focused on the bread-and-butter issues that matter to Londoners. My manifesto is written by Londoners, for Londoners. They decide what we will be working on, because it is they that the mayor is supposed to serve.

I will recruit 1,500 more police officers, put two new police bases in every borough, and bring back borough-based policing so the police are local. I will build family homes people can afford, by overhauling the planning rules Sadiq Khan has written into his London Plan and making it simpler and easier to build homes.

With me, London will be a city we can all feel proud to live in again. Our lives won’t be dictated by one man and his ego. We won’t have to constantly look over our shoulders, worried about crime or being financially ruined by another surprise Sadiq Khan tax.

Life will be better. London will be safer and more affordable. But we cannot lose this opportunity. If Londonders do not get out and vote on May 2, we will be stuck with the Ulez expansion for good.

We will be stuck with Sadiq Khan, who will believe that he has our permission to carry on ignoring us for another four years, and who will have to bring in his pay-per-mile plans to pay for his policies. And we will be stuck with the consequences of soaring crime. More Londoners murdered, more Londoners robbed, and more police stations shut by Sadiq Khan.

On May 2, I urge Londoners to bring their voter ID to a local polling station and let us bring an end to Sadiq Khan’s miserable legacy for good. Londoners deserve so much better. But Londoners can only make it happen if they vote.

Susan Hall is the Conservative candidate for mayor of London.