Sadiq Khan’s winning policy

Who should the Labour leadership turn to for inspiration and advice? According to various press reports, No10 has recently been in contact with Munira Mirza, the former head of Boris Johnson’s Policy Unit and a staunch Brexiteer. She, allegedly, may be able to help the government fend off the threat of Reform. More broadly, various figures from Blue Labour have reared their head once more, and can now often be seen opining on how Keir Starmer may wish to handle the matters of the day.

Will they be able to help the prime minister leave his government’s teething problems behind, and head for a victorious second term? Perhaps; perhaps not. What they’re doing feels like a gamble, as it isn’t clear that old solutions can solve new problems. Had Mirza and social conservatives managed to figure out how to run the country in a successful and popular fashion, their people wouldn’t currently be out of power.

It also seems worth wondering if Labour should instead turn to actual progressive politicians, with a real track record of both winning elections and making things better for their constituents. Take Sadiq Khan, for example. The London mayor has been in post for nearly a decade, and became the first person to be elected for three consecutive terms last year.

Back in 2023, he decided to expand the capital’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) to the outer boroughs, a move which proved to be deeply controversial. The right-wing press screeched and wailed, and Labour’s leadership blamed the policy for their failure to gain Uxbridge from the Conservatives that year. At the time, Starmer even called on Khan to “reflect” on the reasons why their party’s candidate lost.

Instead, the mayor doubled down and defended the policy. He was right to do so. Earlier this month, data released by City Hall showed that both ULEZ in general and the ULEZ expansion specifically have been a roaring success. Nitrogen dioxide levels have dropped by a whopping 54% in central London, a respectable 29% in inner London, and 24% in outer London.

In outer boroughs like Sutton, Merton, Croydon, Harrow, and Bromley, emissions are estimated to be 15% lower than they used to be. Across the capital, road transport nitrogen oxide emissions dropped by 36% in 2024. Elsewhere, the reduction in carbon emissions between 2019 and 2024 saved the equivalent of nearly 3m one-way trips between Heathrow and New York City.

As a result, there has now been an 80% reduction in people exposed to illegal pollution levels, with that figure rising to 82% in outer London. As Khan said in a statement: “When I was first elected, evidence showed it would take 193 years to bring London’s air pollution within legal limits if current efforts continued. But thanks to our transformative policies, we’re now on track to achieve it this year.”

Isn’t that worth celebrating? Crucially, independent data also showed that neither footfall nor spending decreased in that time. Londoners are living healthier lives, and local businesses haven’t even had to suffer for it. Few policies end up being a win-win, but ULEZ has been one of them.

In an ideal world, you should already be aware of this as, in an ideal world, Keir Starmer should have proudly discussed it with the national press, and making the point that Labour, when in power, can and will make people’s lives better. At the very least, some No10 figures ought to have briefed journalists, anonymously if needed, to apologise to Khan and recognise that he had done the right thing.

Instead, all we have had is… silence. Sadiq Khan ignored his critics and decided to carry on with a policy he knew would be a good one, and he was proved right. Instead of learning from this, it now looks likely that the government will keep getting spooked by negative press coverage, and continue seeking the approval of people in whose interest it is for Labour to fail. Isn’t that a depressing state of affairs?

Then again, maybe they’re right. Maybe pandering to people who think “woke” has gone too far and disabled people just have it too good is the way forward. We can check back in at the next election and see who has it right. Whatever happens, though, Londoners can thank Sadiq for their clean air.