The latest figures on the impact of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez), published by Sadiq Khan, are "trumped-up nonsense", Conservative Mayoral candidate Susan Hall has claimed.
The London Mayor hailed "remarkable progress" in improving the air quality in London after fresh figures showed roadside pollutant levels are falling faster in the capital than in the rest of the UK.
Ulez was expanded to cover outer London last year.
The report, published by the Greater London Authority (GLA) and Transport for London (TfL), claimed a significant proportion of the improvement came as a result of Ulez.
The latest Ulez figures published by Sadiq Khan are "trumped-up nonsense", Conservative Mayoral candidate Susan hall has claimed
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Improvements have also come as a result of initiatives including an increase in electric and hybrid buses, the report says, as well as a wider shift towards electric vehicles - something the Ulez is said to have helped.
But hitting back at the figures, Hall claimed that Khan is waiting to publish the "real impact report" into Ulez until after the election.
She told GB News: "We have had six months of Sadiq Khan's disastrous ULEZ expansion hitting families, small business owners and charities with a daily charge they can't afford.
"Sadiq Khan was told from the beginning that it would have a negligible effect on air quality, but he didn't listen.
"The figures he is using are trumped-up nonsense. Why? Because the real impact report he has decided to hide until after the election.
"It is a joke, but no one is laughing. I will listen to Londoners and scrap the ULEZ expansion on day one of my Mayoralty, no ifs no buts."
The research, seen by the Guardian, shows that roadside levels of NO2 pollutants fell by 49 per cent between 2016 and 2023.
It shows they were lower last year than 2020, which saw periods of limited road usage as a result of the pandemic.
The report said the fall in pollution came in spite of London's population having risen by more than 1 million.
The London Mayor hailed "remarkable progress" in improving the air quality in London after fresh fugures showed roadside pollutant levels are falling faster in the capital than in the rest of the UK
PA
England as a whole saw a fall of 35 per cent, Scotland saw a fall of 39 per cent, Wales 31 per cent and Northern Ireland 27 per cent.
Reacting to the figures, Khan said: "Every Londoner should be proud of the remarkable progress we’ve made in improving our air quality since 2016.
"Together we’ve cut roadside nitrogen dioxide pollution in half and achieved the lowest annual levels on record.
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“London is leading the way, cleaning up our air at a much faster rate than the rest of the UK. Clean air matters for so many reasons - helping to increase children’s life expectancy, reduce hospital admissions for asthma and serious lung conditions, and enable people to lead longer, healthier lives.”
The Mayor's Office has been contacted for comment on Hall's remarks.
