London

Sadiq Khan: The bogus war on the motorist is sign of Tory desperation

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Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. Image: DAVID HOLT from London, England Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. Image: DAVID HOLT from London, England Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/03/sadiq-khan-ulez-motorists-conservative-party

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The Conservatives have overseen 13 years of decline – with soaring rents and mortgages, devastated public services, sky-high bills and the highest tax burden on working people in a generation. They have nothing to offer.

That’s why they are desperate to confect a bogus war on the motorist. Division is both their strategy and overriding priority.

Regrettably, fostering this type of damaging politics is more important to Rishi Sunak right now than the harm being done to our children’s lungs by air pollution or the decline forced on our economy because of their recklessness and incompetence.

Serious, robust, reasoned discussion is essential in any democratic society, and something I have always welcomed.

My objection is not to good-faith debate, but to the Tories sowing discord and division, in a desperate attempt to distract from the mess they’ve made of our country.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/03/sadiq-khan-ulez-motorists-conservative-party

Continue ReadingSadiq Khan: The bogus war on the motorist is sign of Tory desperation

Activists launch ‘Stop the Arms Fair’ campaign ahead of DSEI arms trade event

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Stop the Arms Fair protest against Defence & Security Exports International (DSEI) fair London 2023.
Stop the Arms Fair protest against Defence & Security Exports International (DSEI) fair London 2023.

https://leftfootforward.org/2023/09/activists-launch-stop-the-arms-fair-campaign-ahead-of-dsei-arms-trade-event/

“Representatives from regimes such as Saudi Arabia, who have used UK-made weapons to commit war crimes in Yemen, will be wined and dined and encouraged to buy yet more arms.”

The biannual Defence & Security Exports International (DSEI) fair is taking place on September 12 – 15 in London. The event is one of the largest arms fairs in the world. It is attended by delegates from across the globe, including from some of the most oppressive regimes. This year’s fair will see over 2,800 manufacturers display their arms.

Ahead of the event, a group of activists are launching a campaign protesting the arms trade and the manufacturers showcasing their products at the trade show. They are campaigning under a ‘Stop the Arms Fair’ (STAF) banner. STAF formed in 2011 with the aim of putting a stop to arms fairs in the UK, particularly DSEI.

Every two years, DSEI brings thousands of arms buyers from over 100 countries worldwide together to network and make deals. The high-profile event connects governments, national armed forces, industry thought leaders and the entire defence and security supply chain on a global scale. The anti-arms trade activists say DSEI is an important event for the UK state, which ‘heavily subsidises and promotes the arms industry, and helps organise the arms fair.’

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/09/activists-launch-stop-the-arms-fair-campaign-ahead-of-dsei-arms-trade-event/

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Sadiq Khan rubbishes Tory minister’s Ulez ‘cash grab’ claims

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Traffic in South London.
Traffic in South London.

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/sadiq-khan-rubbishes-tory-ministers-ulez-cash-grab-claims

LONDON Mayor Sadiq Khan has rubbished claims made by Tory Transport Minister Mark Harper about the extension of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez).

As the expansion of the zone to cover all London boroughs came into force today, Labour mayor told BBC Breakfast that Mr Harper had made factual errors in his criticisms of it.

“If it was a cash grab, as the government is saying, just to raise money, I’d have acceded to their demand to expand the Ulez without proper consultation and a proper scrappage scheme.”

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Mr Khan said: “In a couple of years’ time, TfL has predicted there will be no additional money made because the number of non-compliant vehicles will decrease.

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/sadiq-khan-rubbishes-tory-ministers-ulez-cash-grab-claims

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Stop playing politics over clean air, Greenpeace tells Sunak

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/stop-playing-politics-over-clean-air-greenpeace-tells-sunak

Vehicles queue in heavy traffic in south London

ENVIRONMENT campaigners have told Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to “stop playing politics” over London’s anti-pollution Ulez regulations.

Instead he should work with the capital’s Mayor Sadiq Khan and provide government funding for working people to replace polluting vehicles, Greenpeace said.

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Greenpeace UK clean air campaigner Paul Morozzo said: “Rishi Sunak has a legal obligation to cut harmful pollution levels across the UK.

“So instead of playing politics with such a vital issue, he should work with the London mayor to provide proper financial support for working people wanting to get rid of older, more polluting vehicles.”

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/stop-playing-politics-over-clean-air-greenpeace-tells-sunak

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Spoof ads of Sunak shaking oil-soaked hand appear across London

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/spoof-ads-sunak-shaking-oil-soaked-hand-appear-across-london

A spoof ad of Sunak shaking oil-soaked hand Photo: Fossil Free London

PARODY adverts mocking Rishi Sunak for giving public money to oil giants have appeared across London’s bus stops.

The Prime Minister is shown shaking an oil-soaked hand next to a Conservative logo with the words: “A helping hand for those in need: £3.75 billion public money to oil company Equinor if Rosebank oil field goes ahead.”

The spoof ads have been spotted in Hackney, Southwark and Tower Hamlets so far, and come after Fossil Free London campaigners last week delivered giant gifts to the Norwegian embassy to represent the £3.75bn tax breaks developers of the North Sea’s Rosebank field could receive.

Norway’s state-backed oil and gas giant Equinor would be among the firms set to profit while the taxpayer picks up almost all the costs of the development.

Earlier this month Mr Sunak claimed a planned expansion of oil and gas drilling in the North Sea was “entirely consistent” with the government’s goal to reach net zero by 2050.

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/spoof-ads-sunak-shaking-oil-soaked-hand-appear-across-london

Continue ReadingSpoof ads of Sunak shaking oil-soaked hand appear across London