London mayor tried to suppress report questioning climate mandates, emails show

London Mayor Sadiq Khan suppressed a report showing his ULEZ climate mandates have little impact on the climate, newly obtained emails show.

Ultra-Low Emission Zones (ULEZs) are areas in London accessible only to low-emission vehicles. Cars that do not meet the city’s environmental standards are charged £12.50 ($16) for entering the ULEZ. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras positioned around the zones read license plates and check them against the vehicles’ make and model in real time. If a vehicle does not meet the environmental threshold, the fine is levied against the car owner. Failure to pay can lead to fines as high as £258 ($331).

Nearly half of London’s residents — over four million people — now live in ULEZs, which cover the North and South Circular Roads. By August 29th, the ULEZ will expand to encompass all London boroughs. The decision has drawn heavy protests from taxpayers and led to growing unrest, including the regular dismantling of ANPR cameras by taxpayers.

But even those who supported the ULEZ mandate for its effect on “climate change” have lost that defense, according to a Saturday report from the Telegraph.

Emails obtained via a Freedom of Information request reveal that Khan’s office tried to suppress a scientific report showing the ULEZ mandate is largely ineffective against pollution. The report, published by the Imperial College of London, found that ULEZs cut nitrogen emissions by less than 3% and “had insignificant effects on ozone and particulate matter.”

Khan’s office reacted to the report by trying to block its release in British news media. Environment and Energy Deputy Mayor Shirley Rodrigues immediately contacted Imperial College of London Environmental Research Group Director Professor Frank Kelly, whose group had been paid over £800,000 ($1,018,720) by Khan’s office since 2021. One of those payments was a £45,958 ($58,523) grant for a report on the “future health benefits of mayoral air quality policies.”

Rodrigues told Kelly she was “really disappointed” with the “misleading” report and “deeply concerned” with how it would damage the ULEZ mandate and the mayor. She reportedly thanked Kelly’s team for trying to stop it from being released.

“Is there anything you can do or advise to help us set the record straight? I would really appreciate any support,” asked Rodrigues in a November 2021 email.

Professor Kelly responded that he was “totally dismayed” and was “pursuing options internally to offset this,” adding he would be “very happy to provide the Greater London Authority with support required as you move to mitigate the damage.”

Kelly and Rodrigues then crafted a joint statement contradicting the report, claiming the climate mandates “have dramatically reduced air pollution in London.” 

In February,  the Greater London Authority (GLA) — London’s city hall — again brought out Kelly, this time to contradict a Telegraph article that challenged the climate death statistics used by Khan and others to justify climate mandates. The GLA asked to set up a “friendly interview” with Kelly and Labour MP David Lammy, who would be “very supportive.” Kelly responded that Imperial was “not keen” on him directly contradicting the article, but “as always, I’m happy to fight back.”

The city is currently scrambling to protect its surveillance cameras which are being regularly sabotaged by taxpayers.

Approximately 1,900 ANPR cameras have been installed so far, and Mayor Khan plans to install hundreds more around outer London. In addition to watching for ULEZ offenders, TfL says they serve as security cameras for law enforcement to “prevent and detect crime.” 

Approximately 300 cameras have been stolen or vandalized by a group of citizen activists who call themselves the Blade Runners. The group has promised not to rest until every such camera is removed or destroyed “no matter what.”

In the meantime, the city has started placing black boxes around the cameras’ wirings to protect them from being cut.

“Vandalism on our network is unacceptable and all incidents are reported to the police for investigation,” TfL said in a statement. “'We have increased the security of the ULEZ cameras following further incidents of vandalism and theft. The Met has been clear that this is vandalism of government property and is a criminal offence which could lead to prosecution.”

Anyone caught vandalizing a camera could serve up to four years in jail.

One reported Blade Runner said,  “In terms of damage it's way more than what [Khan and TfL] have stated. It's at least a couple of hundred.

“Snipping, damaging with hammers, painting, disabling on a circuit level and removing. They are unbolted and they are snipped. The tools they use to install them are the ones we use to remove it. We don't want this. It's a way to try to . . . restrict our movements. F*** them. It will not happen because we haven't done anything to deserve it.”