Theresa Villiers attacked the expansion of the Mayor of London’s anti-pollution scheme in a parliamentary debate on Monday reports David Floyd

Barnet Mums for Lungs, in collaboration with Barnet Friends of the Earth (FoE) and Mothers CAN holding a Clean Air Day celebration outside the office of former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers in Barnet on Thursday June 15th — The Clean Air Day protest outside the office of Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers – (Credit – Mums for Lungs)

A local Conservative MP has hit out at the planned ULEZ expansion in a parliamentary debate on the controversial anti-pollution scheme.

Chipping Barnet representative Theresa Villiers spoke in the debate that was held in response to petitions to parliament calling for the plans to be scrapped.

In her speech, the MP – who also criticised Labour colleagues for failing to attend the debate – said that, while she supported a reduction in air pollution the scheme would not achieve that goal, noting that: “the Mayor of London published an independent impact assessment of his Ulez expansion proposal that concluded that it would have only a negligible impact on air quality.”

She talked about the local reaction to the scheme saying: “I am sure that many of us have had constituents attending our surgeries to explain the financial hardship that they will experience as a result of this charge being introduced at a time of major increases in the cost of living.”

Before adding: “Constituents stop me in the street to tell me how much they oppose Mayor Khan’s proposal. A protest I organised, which I was expecting to attract about 10 people and be rather low key, attracted a crowd of about 60.”

ULEZ has been the subject of recent local protests both for and against. In May, Villiers led a demonstration against the scheme next to a set of cameras at A1000 Great North Road. Then earlier this month, a group of local mums protested outside the MP’s office to express their opposition to her protest.

Ending her speech, Villiers concluded “The expansion of the ultra low emission zone to outer London has no mandate. It will do virtually nothing for air quality, it will be economically damaging and it will hit the poorest harder than anyone else.

“The Mayor should dismantle Labour’s hated Ulez expansion. If he does not, I sincerely hope that Londoners will take the opportunity to vote him out next May and replace him with a Conservative Mayor of London.”

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