Older people should stop moaning about Ulez – it’s what Gen Z want (and deserve)

We can’t ignore that policies prioritising the planet are increasingly popular. My generation has been calling for them for years, writes youth climate campaigner Scarlett Westbrook

Drivers will be subjected to London’s ultra low emission zone (Ulez) rules if they move off official diversion routes during this weekend’s M25 closure (Lucy North/PA) (PA Archive)

From Sadiq Khan being re-elected with an increased majority, to Richard Parker becoming the first Labour Mayor of the West Midlands, the electorate sent a clear message on 2 May: we want politicians to put clean air over cars.

Prior to the results on Saturday, many commentators and political figures had tried to frame this election as an Ulez referendum, with candidates such as the Conservative candidate Susan Hall in London and Independent Akhmed Yaqoob in the West Midlands pledging to scrap it.

But what the results really show for me and others like me (Gen Z) is that the appetite for climate policies has never been greater. And older people particularly should stop moaning about Ulez – it’s what the younger generations want and deserve. We should all be welcoming it.