James Cleverly mocked for vowing to end Sadiq Khan’s ‘war on motorists’ if he becomes London mayor

James Cleverly has vowed to end Sadiq Khan’s supposed ‘war on motorists’ if he becomes London mayor, putting opposition to the capital’s clean-air policies at the centre of his pitch.

The former home and foreign secretary recently announced he was quitting the Tory front bench, where he was shadow housing, communities and local government secretary, to seek the party’s nomination for the London mayoral election in 2028.

If selected, Cleverly is expected to take a more moderate approach than the Conservatives’ last candidate, Susan Hall, whose 2024 campaign was heavily criticised for its “narrow and negative” focus on ULEZ and crime.

Yet Cleverly’s comments suggest that, despite his claims of offering something different, he may be returning to one of the Conservatives’ most familiar political battlegrounds, portraying measures designed to tackle air pollution and reduce car dependency as an attack on motorists.

Speaking to Times Radio, Cleverly said he would run a “classically Conservative” campaign.

“I am going to put forward a classic Conservative case to be the mayor of London, and it’s about enterprise, it’s about opportunity,” he said.

“That is a classically Conservative vision, and it will run in parallel to and supportive of Kemi’s plans for the country as a whole.”

But in an interview with the Telegraph, his pitch became more specific. Cleverly accused Khan of running a “vindictive assault on drivers” and promised to review the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), which was introduced by Khan in 2019, but was initially conceived and championed by Boris Johnson as London mayor in 2013.

“I think there’s been a real war on the motorist,” said Cleverly.

“In outer London, this really quite vindictive assault on drivers – both people that drive for family reasons and for people that drive for business – is causing real harm. So I want to look at a whole range of options to ease the costs and pressure of people getting around the city and doing business in the city.”

As well as blindly ignoring the fact that ULEZ was originally introduced under a Conservative mayor, Cleverly’s argument ignores a much broader debate about how London should manage pollution, and how ULEZ has significantly cut air pollution and related deaths have fallen by 40 percent since its launch.

The Tories have been down this road before.

Hall’s 2024 campaign repeatedly attacked ULEZ, while presenting Khan’s record on crime as a central issue. At one point, Hall claimed to have been the victim of a pickpocketing on the Underground while criticising Khan’s record on crime. It later emerged that her purse had been found wedged between seats on the Jubilee line, with the £40 inside still intact.

Her campaign also faced criticism after footage emerged of her suggesting that the Black community has “problems with crime”.

Despite the criticism surrounding Hall’s campaign, Cleverly praised her after her defeat by Khan.

“Thank you @Councillorsuzie for standing and campaigning so passionately on behalf of Londoners. The vitriolic and personal attacks never got you down,” he tweeted.

Cleverly has also attempted to broaden his appeal by presenting himself as a defender of London against the Labour government’s devolution plans.

He has accused Andy Burnham of waging a “war on London,” claiming the government’s devolution drive could amount to “centralising power in his own backyard” at the expense of the capital. He has promised to “fight its corner” as part of his mayoral pitch.

Like how his defence of Susan Hall despite her heavy defeat to Sadiq Khan in 2024 attracted criticism, so has his “war on motorists” claim.

“Imagine looking at a city with great transport links, light rail, tube, bus and cycle lanes and thinking ‘you know what this city needs? Cars’,” one person wrote on social media.

“Is he talking about ULEZ that was introduced by (checks notes) Boris Johnson?” another mocked.

“Yes! Down with healthy children’s lungs! Go James!” said another.

“Is it a war on motorists or care for all non motorists? Even people with cars can benefit from clean air and the chance to take their kids on a safe bike ride,” another commented.

Others pointed to the benefits of cleaner air for children with respiratory conditions, while one commenter joked that “bookies reckon there’s more chance of Blackburn winning this season’s Champions League.”