Broadcaster Mike Parry has issued a stark warning over the expansion of Ulez (Ultra Low Emission Zone) across London, claiming it will soon be covering significant chunks of the country.
London became the world’s largest pollution charging area in August when the scheme was expanded to include the whole of the capital.
People who drive in the zone in a vehicle that does not meet minimum emissions standards are now required to pay a £12.50 daily fee or risk a £180 fine, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days, however, the mayor has hinted at an increase in price.
In a scathing assessment of the scheme, Parry branded the scheme “pernicious”, and warned that people living in other cities will become “susceptible”.
WATCH MIKE PARRY GIVE HIS THOUGHTS BELOW
“I travel around the country working, I’ve lived in Nottingham, Newcastle and Chester, where I’m from, and they’re all susceptible to it”, he said on GB News.
“If the Mayor of London gets away with this, it will spread around the country.
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“It will spread all over the place. It’s iniquitous and it hurts so many people who are unable to defend themselves.
“Old people are marooned in their homes because they can’t afford to move their little old cars off the driveway to visit friends.”
The Mayor of London has faced strong opposition to the scheme, although a £160 million scheme run by Transport for London (TfL) enables residents, small businesses, sole traders and charities scrapping non-compliant cars to claim grants.
Khan says the scheme is in place to help make the air cleaner, while claiming that no additional money will be made from the scheme as the number of non-compliant vehicles will decrease.
Sadiq Khan has faced mounting pressure for his expansion of UlezPATo comply with Ulez standards, petrol cars must generally have been first registered after 2005, while most diesel cars registered after September 2015 are also exempt from the charge.
TfL says nine out of 10 cars seen driving in outer London on an average day are compliant.
Separate figures obtained by the RAC show more than 690,000 licensed cars in the whole of London are likely to be non-compliant.
This does not take into account other types of vehicles or those which enter London from neighbouring counties.
However, City Hall claims the RAC data is out of date and inaccurate.
Parry warned that he is expecting a rise in mental health issues should the scheme ramp up to an extent where it becomes a common feature around UK cities.
He said: “Surely the amount of anger that has erupted over this has got to make the Government, who had the opportunity to stop this, review this to stop people getting depressed, and stop people getting bankrupted because they can’t afford to run their businesses.”
GB News presenter Lee Anderson interjected to tell Parry that he disagrees with the suggestion of Government intervention, and Khan should instead be forced to reap what he has sown.
“I sort of disagree with the Government getting involved”, he said.
“I think the best way to stop this way is not for the Government to step in, but for the good people of London to kick him out next year.”
