Sadiq Khan has been criticised after a watchdog ruled adverts made misleading environmental claims about the expansion of London’s ultra low emission zone (ULEZ).
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld complaints about claims made in two ads by Transport for London (TfL) and one by the Greater London Authority (GLA).
The watchdog has told both TfL and the GLA to ensure that claims relate to relevant evidence more closely in future.
Tory London mayoral candidate Susan Hall said: “It is shameful that Sadiq Khan has consistently misled Londoners about his ULEZ expansion. It is nothing but a tax grab which only has a negligible effect on air quality.
“We know his staff leant on scientists to change their findings and he is taking hundreds of millions from the poorest Londoners. I will scrap the ULEZ expansion on day one of my Mayoralty, no ifs no buts.”
City Hall Conservatives environment spokesman Tony Devenish added: “Sadiq Khan and TfL have been caught out making misleading and unsubstantiated claims about the benefits of ULEZ to Londoners.
“This shouldn’t surprise anyone. Sadiq Khan’s own report said the ULEZ expansion would do little for air pollution.
“Sadiq Khan also has a history of making misleading and false claims. After all, he told us he wouldn’t expand ULEZ to outer London but then did exactly that.
“Sadiq Khan can’t be trusted. He doesn’t deserve another four years as mayor. Eight years is more than enough.”
The ASA received a total of 504 complaints about six TfL ads and 38 complaints about the GLA ad, only some of which were upheld.
One ruling said claims made by TfL that levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) had reduced by almost half as a result of ULEZ were not based on measurements of air quality taken before and after it was implemented, as listeners of the radio ad might expect.
The ASA also upheld complaints about claims in a second TfL ad that most deaths related to air pollution “actually” occurred in outer London, when this was in fact based on modelled estimates.
In a separate ruling, the watchdog found a claim made in a radio ad by the GLA that “according to research, one of the most polluted places in London is inside your car” not been adequately substantiated and was likely to mislead listeners.
The London Mayor sparked a widespread backlash with his ULEZ expansion from central London to the whole of the capital last August in a bid to boost air quality.
The ASA stressed that it was not its role to rule on the validity of the scheme, but rather to assess whether claims made in the adverts were presented alongside robust evidence.
TfL said it was “disappointed” with the ASA’s ruling, adding that scientific analysis based on modelled scenarios and estimates was “standard practice” in the scientific community and central government.
A spokesman for Mr Khan said: “The ASA is not challenging the science behind the advertisement, and we are confident that it contains nothing misleading. The advert went through a robust policy and industry approval process.
“Studies from global institutions have shown that exposure to air pollution, even at low levels, is very damaging to people’s health. We are satisfied with the science behind the claim and how we presented it.”
