Sadiq Khan has taken a dramatic U-turn after he initially insisted he would not be able to send disused SUVs to Ukraine – only to announce that now he will be able to.
The Mayor of London has pledged his support to send 4x4s and other vehicles that would otherwise be scrapped under his ULEZ scheme to the frontline of the war with Russia. He has asked the Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, to enable both Londoners and others across the country to donate appropriate vehicles to Ukraine.
Mr Khan had previously expressed his “frustration” over not being able to send the vehicles following a request from a Ukrainian mayor. Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, had written to his London counterpart to suggest the idea, the Telegraph reported.
Following “conversations with the Mayor’s Office in Kyiv and other partners,” Mr Khan and former defence secretary Ben Wallace have said they decided to send the vehicles.
The ULEZ scrappage scheme allows Londoners with vehicles that don’t meet the emission standards of the ULEZ scheme to claim up to £2,000 when such vehicles are scrapped. Now Mr Khan and Mr Wallace have jointly written to Mr Harper.
In the letter, they ask him to give motorists “money for taking polluting vehicles off our cities’ streets while providing vital support towards the people of Ukraine”.
It added: “We understand there is a particular requirement for 4×4 vehicles, as well as emergency service vehicles.”
In his letter to Mr Khan, Kyiv’s mayor said: “This could be most quickly done by altering the national regulations for the Certificate of Destruction, which is required as proof that a vehicle has been permanently scrapped, to instead enable the export of suitable vehicles to Ukraine via a registered charity or national scheme.”
“We recognise that any such change would need cross-departmental co-ordination within Government, not least to ensure that any vehicles sent to Ukraine meet their needs,” it added.
But a spokesperson for the Mayor of London responded at the time: “Unfortunately, altering the ULEZ scheme for the purpose of exporting vehicles to Ukraine is not possible within the current limits of the Greater London Authority Act.” They said exporting the vehicles to Ukraine would “not meet the legal threshold of the benefit to Londoners from an economic, social or environmental perspective” as set out within the act.
Susan Hall, the Conservative candidate for mayor of London, had described the move to block vehicles as “absurd”.
She told The Telegraph: “Londoners who choose to scrap their cars should have the freedom to decide for themselves if they want their car sent to support Ukraine. Standing with Ukraine against tyrants like Putin is not only a moral imperative but also in the best interest of all Londoners and the global community.”
Mr Khan’s U-turn to push for the vehicles to be sent to Ukraine comes after his controversial ULEZ expansion generated £5.3million in its first week – with 300,000 extra drivers charged for driving non-compliant vehicles within Greater London.
More than 425,000 ULEZ charges were paid in the week following the extension, compared to just 140,000 the week before.
