Boris Johnson cannot be trusted to address the climate crisis, Sadiq Khan warns

General election offers 'stark' choice for environmental protection, London mayor claims

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan being interviewed by Iain Dale at the Gilded Balloon Teviot, Edinburgh (PA)

Boris Johnson cannot be trusted to address the climate crisis, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has warned.

The Labour mayor warned that the 12 December general election offers a stark choice between a government that has “consistently sabotaged efforts to tackle pollution” or an opposition which is committed to speeding up the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Speaking to the Green Alliance charity, he pointed to a 2013 report on air quality in the capital, whose author accused Mr Johnson at the time of publicising its positive aspects while declining to publish in full her findings that deprived schools were disproportionately affected by toxic air.

Mr Khan said: “As a former lawyer, my instinct has always been to examine the evidence. And all the evidence shows that we’re now on the verge of a climate catastrophe. Indeed, the science is irrefutable.

“That’s why I believe that everyone – particularly political leaders - has a moral responsibility to take the action that’s needed to safeguard our planet and our children’s futures.”

And he added: “Frankly, I don’t believe we can trust Boris Johnson to take the action that’s necessary to address the climate crisis and protect the health of our citizens.

“After all, this is a man who – when he was the mayor of London – suppressed evidence that children in hundreds of schools across our city were breathing toxic air. A man who leads a party that had to be dragged through the courts in order to comply with EU laws on air pollution.”

Looking ahead to the general election, Mr Khan said: “We shouldn’t be in any doubt about just how stark the choice is.

“Do we return a government that has consistently sabotaged efforts to tackle pollution? Or do we elect a government that’s going to lead a green industrial revolution that speeds up, rather than slows down, the transition to a low carbon world?

“Do we leave the EU with a hard Brexit – an institution that has been so instrumental in raising environmental standards? Or do we get an opportunity to have the final say on Brexit, with the potential to Remain and to be part of a European-wide push to save our planet and its people?”

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Mr Khan said that as mayor he had sought to ensure London “leads from the front” in tackling global warming, by declaring a climate emergency, committing to become a zero-carbon city and investing in walking, cycling and planting 200,000 trees.

But he added: “If our cities are to realise their full potential, we need the support of government in order to have an even bigger impact.”