The Tories have doubled down on their claims that Sadiq Khan is planning a per-mile charging scheme for London drivers with a new attack ad.
In a video seen by MailOnline and which will be shared on social media, the Conservatives highlight how the Mayor of London has previously ordered transport bosses to work on plans to charge motorists for every mile they travel.
It comes amid a furious row between Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall and Mr Khan over future plans for the capital’s roads if he is re-elected on May 2.
The Mayor of London has angrily denied he plans to introduce a ‘pay per mile’ system while he is mayor and blasted the Tories’ ‘lies’ and ‘fear-mongering’.
But the Conservatives have compiled a file of 17 times a possible “pay per kilometer” system was raised by Mr Khan or senior city hall officials during his term as mayor.
The Tories have doubled down on their claims that Sadiq Khan is planning a per-mile charging scheme for London drivers with a new attack ad.
It comes amid a furious row between Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall and Mr Khan over future plans for the capital’s roads if he is re-elected on May 2.
This includes Mr Khan writing in his book Breathe, published in May last year, of his “plans to introduce a new, more comprehensive road user charging system, which should be implemented no later than by the end of the decade.
Ms Hall also highlighted how Mr Khan, shortly after the last mayoral election in 2021, said he had “no plans” to extend the capital’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) to outside London.
He then controversially extended ULEZ to all London boroughs in August last year.
The Tories’ new attack video features an audio clip of Mr Khan speaking to an Evening Standard podcast in January 2022.
The Mayor of London told the podcast at the time: “I asked TfL (Transport for London) today to start working on… what can TfL do in the medium to long term to move us towards an intelligent road user pricing system to replace the urban toll, ULEZ… with a simple system where people pay per kilometer depending on the time of day they drive, the type of vehicle they use, alternatives to driving their car, etc.
Also included in the Conservative file are the results of a freedom of information request from December last year.
It revealed that TfL had set aside up to £150 million for ‘Project Detroit’, which is working on “a new core technology platform for existing road pricing systems to replace the currently outsourced system while the current contract expires in 2026.”
A previous FoI request to TfL revealed that the platform being built as part of “Project Detroit” has “the capacity to be expanded and we will look to build the system flexibly so that other forms of charging based on distance, vehicle type, etc., could be taken into account if a decision was taken in this direction in the future.
Ms Hall, pictured campaigning with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak this week, is trying to replace Mr Khan as London mayor in the next election.
Conservative mayoral candidate accused Mr Khan of ‘treating Londoners like fools’ over pay-per-mile plans
Ms Hall engaged in a bitter social media row with Mr Khan’s allies last week after posting a mock-up photo of a “pay by mile” sign on a street in London.
Ms Hall, who is trying to replace Mr Khan as London mayor at the next election, said: “Sadiq Khan told us he had no plans to extend ULEZ at the last election and then he did so a few months later.
“Now, after spending £150 million on pay-per-mile technology, he expects us to believe he won’t deliver it? He treats Londoners like fools.
“I’m listening to Londoners, which is why I will abandon Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ expansion and pay-per-mile plans on day one as mayor.”
Ms Hall engaged in a bitter social media row with Mr Khan’s allies last week after posting a mock photo of a ‘pay by the mile’ sign on a London street on Twitter/X .
London Labor responded: “This sign does not exist and never will. Sadiq was clear – categorically ruling out pay per kilometer as long as he is mayor. It’s a photoshopped image and it’s a lie.
Labor also highlighted how Boris Johnson, when he was mayor of London before Mr Khan, considered charging motorists for every mile they drive in a bid to improve air quality in the capital.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is also said to have considered ‘pay-per-mile’ proposals when he was chancellor, as Britons switch to electric cars and leave the Treasury with a massive tax deficit due to falling revenue from car tax. fuels and excise duties on vehicles.
A Conservative source within Ms Hall’s campaign team hit back at Mr Khan’s outright denial that he was considering introducing a “pay-per-mile” system for London motorists in the future.
They told MailOnline: ‘Sadiq Khan does not decide how the public judges him, nor does he demand that he be taken at his word.
“Assuming Mr. Khan wrote his own book, it’s there in black and white for all to see.
“And this is just one example of the latest part of his anti-motorism plan for London.”
A London Labor spokesperson said: “Sadiq has repeatedly and categorically ruled out the introduction of ‘pay per mile’ while he is mayor.
“The Conservatives’ claims that Sadiq would introduce pay-per-mile are lies designed to mislead Londoners.
“Such a project was first proposed by Boris Johnson as Mayor of London and was also planned by Rishi Sunak as Chancellor.
“Sadiq has always made it clear that such a project is not necessary following the decision to extend the ULEZ to the whole of London and has repeatedly ruled out introducing it during his time as Mayor, including in a letter to the TfL commissioner last month.”
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