By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-08-31 03:40:38 | Updated at 2026-08-31 05:50:17
2 hours ago
Sir James Cleverly has promised to end Lord Khan's "war on the motorist" if elected as the next mayor of London.
The former Shadow Housing Secretary resigned from Conservative front bench to focus on the 2028 Mayoral election.
He has now accused the current Labour mayor of running a "vindictive assault on drivers" in an attempt to "price out" Londoners who did not agree on Net Zero emission targets.
"I think there’s been a real war on the motorist," he told The Telegraph.
"In outer London, this really quite vindictive assault on drivers - both people that drive for family reasons and for people that drive for business - is causing real harm."
As Mayor of London, Sir James would launch a review of the controversial ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) implemented by Lord Khan in 2019.
The much-maligned scheme charges motorists £12.50 to drive a non-compliant vehicle anywhere in London - data released last week revealed van drivers were paying, on average, £99 a month to traverse the capital.
Sir James stopped short of promising to scrap the scheme entirely - it was first announced by the most recent Tory Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
"I want to look at a whole range of options to ease the costs and pressure of people getting around the city and doing business in the city," he said.
Sir James Cleverly said Ulez was a 'vindictive assault on drivers' by Lord Khan
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He added that the "constant chopping and changing" of policy was frustrating for Londoners but would stop "forcing people into making expensive decisions" such as buying electric cars.
Critics of Ulez - including Mr Johnson - have said it has skyrocketed the price of travelling in outer London boroughs less well-served by Transport for London (TfL)'s tube network.
But Lord Khan has recently defended the scheme, pointing to an "incredible" study which showed a reduction in lung damage from pollution.
And in June, the Mayor of London pointed to a different study by a London university, saying it provided "overwhelming and unarguable" evidence expanding the scheme was "even more important than we previously thought".
Sir James also vowed to put pressure on the Metropolitan Police and TfL to tackle petty crime and fare dodging in the capital.
Lord Khan has defended expansion of Ulez as being important for London's health
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"It is incredibly important that we send the message that the streets of London will be policed and policed properly," he said.
"Theft is theft. Crime is crime, and it should be dealt with robustly."
The former Tory frontbencher - who previously served in Government as Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary - also backed the use of driverless trains on the underground.
The introduction of robot trains was planned by Mr Johnson in 2012 but scrapped by Lord Khan last year amid pressure from train driver union Aslef, saying the high costs needed made it clear proposals "shouldn’t be progressed any further".
"We should absolutely be looking at the use of technology to improve consistency, reliability, reduce cost and make sure the people that work for TfL are actually able to help the people who use TfL," Sir James said.
Sir James' step back from the frontbench comes amid a wider Shadow Cabinet reshuffle
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"The fact that Khan has been bossed around by the transport unions from day one has been massively to the detriment of Londoners."
Since Mr Johnson's mayoralty, the Tories have lost three consecutive London mayor elections to Lord Khan.
Sir James' stepped back from the frontbench amid a planned Shadow Cabinet reshuffle by Kemi Badenoch.
Lord Khan has not confirmed he will run for a fourth consecutive term, but previously said he intends to do so.
Laila Cunningham, Reform UK's mayoral candidate, told GB News both men are two similar established political voices.
"If Khan runs, it will be two career politicians running against an outsider who is not one," she said.
