London mayor decides to send cars to Ukraine at Kyiv mayor's request
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has changed his mind and declared that he does back sending four-wheel drive cars that would otherwise be scrapped under the ULEZ (Ultra-Low Emission Zone) scheme to Ukraine.
Source: The Telegraph; European Pravda
Details: The London mayor had previously not supported the sending of non-ULEZ-compliant vehicles to Ukraine, saying it would not benefit Londoners from an environmental, economic and social perspective.
However, following a media campaign and numerous appeals, Khan changed his mind and asked Transport Secretary Mark Harper to make it "possible for Londoners, and others across the country, to donate suitable vehicles to Ukraine through scrappage schemes".
The letter to Harper, which the mayor of London wrote with former defence minister Ben Wallace, said it would be possible to send cars to Ukraine if the relevant national rules were changed.
The ULEZ aims to clean up London's air by requiring drivers of high-emission vehicles in the city to pay a £12.50 levy. Londoners can get up to £2,000 for scrapping their car if it doesn't meet ULEZ emissions standards. These are generally all-wheel drive cars and pick-up trucks.
"We are optimistic you will work with us to enable Londoners and others around the country to receive money for taking polluting vehicles off our cities’ streets while providing vital support towards the people of Ukraine," Khan and Wallace wrote.
Earlier, former prime minister Boris Johnson, who was Khan's predecessor as mayor of London, called the London mayor's refusal to send cars to Ukraine "petty and ridiculous".
"The Ukrainians are more than capable of solving the quality of air problems themselves, what they need is help now to defeat a threat that is infinitely more dangerous, and that is president Putin. Khan’s actions seem to be extraordinary," Johnson said.
Background: On 16 December, Sadiq Khan refused to send cars handed over by Londoners under the ULEZ scheme to Ukraine further to a request from Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
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