Driver Lobbyist Group Targeting Sadiq Khan over Clean Air Plans is Funded by Road Haulage Industry

FairFuel UK is leading the charge against the Labour mayor’s expansion of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone – which will hit the most polluting vehicles including trucks and lorries

A leading group campaigning against London Labour mayor Sadiq Khan’s plans to expand a clean air zone to cover all of London is funded by a road haulage industry that is dependent on fossil fuel-guzzling HGVs.

FairFuel UK has frequently targeted Labour politicians over policies designed to reduce air pollution and carbon emissions. But Sadiq Khan – who has made tackling air pollution one of his key issues as Mayor – appears to have been targeted with particular hostility. 

It comes as the Mayor of London plans to roll out the charge on the most polluting vehicles – affecting around 15 per cent of drivers – from inner to all of outer London this August.

That follows research from City Hall showing that more than 3,600 children were admitted to hospital with asthma in London in 2021/22 – a sharp increase of 64 per cent on the previous year when lockdowns and lower traffic levels resulted in fewer admissions, according to the mayor’s team. The expansion plans are backed by Labour, the Greens and Lib Dems in the London Assembly.

Expanding ULEZ London-wide is expected to save 27,000 tonnes of CO2 in outer London each year, nearly double that which the central London ULEZ achieved in its first year of operation. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from cars and vans in outer London are set to fall by 10 and 7% respectively, while PM2.5 from car exhaust emissions in outer London are expected to decline by nearly 16 per cent, “benefitting five million outer London residents” City Hall says.

However, FairFuel UK – run by Kent-based campaigner Howard Cox – has claimed the Mayor is “deploying policy to suit his own personal agenda” and has led a vigorous lobbying campaign against the plans. 

According to the group itself, FairFuel UK campaign on “congestion charges, ULEZ/CAZs, parking costs, roads investment, unfair treatment for fossil-fuelled vehicle owners” as well as “alternative technology options” to phasing out fossil-fuel vehicles. It says it is funded by the Road Haulage Association, and previously by Logistics UK. 

Both groups represent HGV-heavy firms in the logistics and freight sector. The RHA describes itself as a private company “dedicated to the interests of the road haulage industry.” Road freight services produced 11.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2020 – accounting for nearly a fifth of UK transportation emissions, according to Statista. 

FairFuel UK says it has also received funding from vehicle industry groups like the RAC, the Association of Pallet Networks (representing hauliers), and UKLPG, representing the liquid petrol gas industry. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing on their part. But hauliers will have to pay £100 per non-compliant lorry in outer London when Sadiq Khan’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone is expanded this August.

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Consultation Row

Howard Cox’s campaign has become increasingly vocal in recent months over ULEZ, raising allegations that around 5,000 copy-and-paste FairFuel UK emails to TfL were excluded from Transport for London’s consultation into expanding the Ultra Low Emissions Zone. Around 500 pro-ULEZ identical emails from Living Streets campaigners were also excluded from the final tally of responses for/against the policy.

FairFuel UK and Conservatives on the London Assembly have claimed Sadiq Khan lied about when he knew about the findings of the consultation, a claim City Hall strongly denies. 

The final consultation found that around two thirds of respondents were opposed to expanding ULEZ this August – but it dropped to around 60% when identical lobbying emails from Fair Fuel UK and Living Streets supporters were put aside. YouGov polling of all Londoners – not just those who responded to the consultation – shows a slim majority in favour of expanding the Ultra Low Emissions Zone to tackle air pollution in the capital. 

However, last week, FairFuel UK founder Howard Cox wrote to Keir Starmer requesting he suspend Sadiq Khan from the Labour Party, saying: “A proud party should not have a member flouting democracy and unlawfully manipulating a public consultation process to suit his personal political agenda.” He tagged City Hall Tory leader Susan Hall.  

In a statement to Byline Times, Howard Cox branded Sadiq Khan the “UK’s most unaccountable politician”. An elected assembly holds the Mayor to account, unlike other metro mayors.  

Several changes were introduced to the expanded ULEZ scheme after the consultation, including a £110m scrappage scheme, extended grace periods for vehicles used by charities and disabled people, and committing to a one million kilometre expansion of the outer London bus network.   

All of the circa 58,000 consultation responses were reviewed and analysed, except 24 responses to the consultation that were flagged as abusive or threatening, a TfL spokesperson said. 

Cox also faced a snub when he received a reply from the Department for Transport saying they would not block Sadiq Khan from extending ULEZ to cover all of London. 

A TfL spokesperson said: “The ULEZ London-wide expansion consultation was run according to industry best practice, with analysis provided by an independent consultancy. We take our responsibility to run robust and legally compliant consultations extremely seriously and we would never seek to influence the results of a consultation.

“Apart from a small number of abusive or threatening consultation responses which were discounted, all responses were reviewed and analysed. Responses from all campaign groups were also reviewed and reflected in our final consultation report, which informed the Mayor before making any decision.  The fair fuel responses were included in the final report.”

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Dodgy ‘Polling’? 

In another attack on Sadiq Khan’s expansion of ULEZ in London, last week the group put out a statement arguing that “Sadiq Khan’s Politics [are] Set to damage London’s Economy”. The Mayor says it is vital to reducing toxic air pollution, but it has faced stiff opposition from driver groups and Conservatives. 

The press release included criticism from GLA Conservative leader Susan Hall towards Sadiq Khan, while Howard Cox hit out at Sadiq Khan comments on Brexit.

Howard Cox said: “London’s Mayor says Brexit is causing immense damage to London. He should butt out of national politics and focus on repairing the colossal destruction to our Capital City he has and continues to inflict. The UK’s most unaccountable politician deploys policy to suit his own personal agenda. Ignoring and manipulating the ULEZ consultation process is not only contemptible, but also possibly unlawful.”