Sadiq Khan’s argument is not only ecological: four thousand Londoners die prematurely every year because of the city’s air quality. But the broader electoral lessons being drawn by the Tory press and parts of the Labour Party are dubious. The issues on which Khan is farthest from Starmer – ULEZ and a stated desire for rent control powers – are unlikely to disappear with the arrival of a Labour government. Few climate policies have aroused such concerted opposition, but few have yet had so concrete a consumer cost. The leader’s office arranged for the defeated Uxbridge candidate to open proceedings with an excoriation of the ULEZ policy.

Source: The Guardian July 25, 2023 15:54 UTC