Ulez 'has improved London air rapidly'

People in London are breathing significantly cleaner air since the expansion of the city's ultra-low emission zone (Ulez), a study has found.

- Matthew Taylor

Levels of deadly pollutants that are linked to a wide range of health problems - from cancer to impaired lung development, heart attacks to premature births - have dropped, with some of the biggest improvements coming in the capital's most deprived areas.

Sadiq Khan had faced severe opposition to the 2023 expansion of Ulez to outer London boroughs. But as the report was published, the mayor of London said the scheme had driven down pollution, taken 15 old polluting cars off the roads and brought cleaner air to millions more people. "When I was first elected, evidence showed it would take 193 years to bring London's air pollution within legal limits if the current efforts continued. However, due to our transformative policies, we are now close to achieving it this year." Several outer London councils mounted unsuccessful legal challenges to the 2023 Ulez programme, and Keir Starmer blamed it for Labour's defeat in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip byelection, calling for Khan to "reflect" on his plans.

But today's report, published by the Greater London authority and extensively reviewed by an independent advisory group of experts, found Ulez had had a positive impact and London's air quality had improved across the board and at a faster rate than the rest of the country. The report covers the first year since the zone's expansion and is the fullest analysis yet conducted.