Forget Ulez, Britain must do better than to run away from its eco obligations

Editorial: The UK used to aspire to global climate leadership, and rightly. But now, shaken by soaring fuel bills and inflation, we are turning our backs on the planet

30 August 2023 (Dave Brown)

As an exemplar of a good policy badly implemented, the expansion of the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) in outer London has few rivals.

Sadly, it stands as a case study in political and administrative failure. It is also, equally balefully, another example of where what was once a powerful cross-party consensus on protecting the environment has melted away in the white heat of competitive electoral politics.

As with the latest relaxation of housing planning rules on water purity, and other symbolic downgrading of the green agenda by ministers, it does not bode well for the cleanliness of our home environment – or for the future of the planet.