Boris Johnson hits out at Mayor's plans to charge motorists driving into Greater London

Prime minister Boris Johnson today hit out at a possible £5.50 levy on motorists driving into Greater London. London mayor Sadiq Khan floated the idea of a "boundary charge" as a way of raising £500m a year. In an interview with ITV News, the prime minister described it as a "crazed new tax" but admitted he knew nothing about it. "The approach of Labour politicians is to try to clobber the motorist," said the prime minister. "I don’t know what he’s trying to achieve, I haven’t seen his proposal, whether it has any environmental benefit. I’ll have a look at this crazed new tax on motorists, typical left-wing thing," he added. Transport for London was given almost £4.5bn in government bailouts after Covid lockdowns starved it of cash from fares. Transport bosses are in talks with ministers to try to secure long-term funding to pay for major upgrades to the capital’s bus, rail and tube network. The prime minister also criticised the mayor’s four-year partial fares freeze, estimated to have cost TfL £640m in lost income. "Sadiq Khan has not handled the finances of TfL well," said the prime minister.

City Hall insisted TfL only had financial problems because of the pandemic, and no decision has been taken on the boundary charge.

"The mayor has asked TfL to examine the feasibility of a Greater London boundary charge for non-residents. 

"People who live in London and have their cars registered to a London address would not pay this charge."