Statement from the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan on the Government Clean Air Strategy

“Toxic air leads to tens of thousands of premature deaths across our city and country - and the fact that ministers have now finally recognised the true scale of this health crisis and taken on board many of the things City Hall has been calling for in order to help tackle the problem is welcome.

"I've long urged government to introduce a new Clean Air Bill and I'm therefore pleased to see a commitment to new updated legislation in order to give cities more powers to act on pollution. 

“However the Government must move much faster if we are going to tackle London's filthy air.  I've already introduced hard-hitting measures like the Toxicity Charge - the T-Charge - for the oldest polluting vehicles in central London, bold programmes to clean up our bus and taxi fleet and I'm bringing forward the introduction of the world’s first Ultra-Low Emission Zone. We are also cleaning up our buses and taxis while encouraging more Londoners to walk and cycle.

“Ministers need to match our urgency and provide the real resources and extra powers cities around the country need, plus a new environmental watchdog with teeth that is fit for purpose, as well as introducing a national scrappage fund to get the dirtiest, most polluting vehicles off our streets now."