Keir and Khan clash on Ulez

Ding, ding, ding! That sound you can hear is two monumental egos colliding in a bit of vintage Labour politicking. In the red corner is Keir Starmer, the party leader and chameleon extraordinaire – a man with more positions than the Karma Sutra. And, er, also in the red corner is Sadiq Khan, London Mayor and virtue-signaller-in-chief. The pair have clashed today over the latter’s unpopular plans to extend the capital’s ultra low emission zone (Ulez) to try to improve London’s air quality.

Ulez has gone down like a bucket of cold sick with ‘white van man’ types whose votes London Tories hope to win in next year’s elections. Keir Starmer is clearly skeptical about the merits of such a scheme, as shown by his answer today at his ‘five missions’ press conference. Sir Keir backed his Uxbridge by-election candidate agitating for a delay to Khan’s Ulez expansion, arguing that Danny Beales was ‘right’ to raise concerns at the Mayor’s tax on drivers.