Sadiq Khan should be flexible in applying the London ultra-low emissions zone

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Could, for example, the ULEZ emissions standard of Euro 6 for diesel cars, vans and minibuses be phased in over two years beginning with vehicles meeting Euro 4? (Getty Images)

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is right to expand the ultra-low emissions zone (ULEZ) to the whole of London to reduce the ill health caused by air pollution.

However, some flexibility is required in its implementation, given the cost of living crisis and the risk that the increased demand for new cars will further drive up their price, when there is already inflation in the auto industry due to supply chain issues.

Could, for example, the ULEZ emissions standard of Euro 6 for diesel cars, vans and minibuses be phased in over two years beginning with vehicles meeting Euro 4? Similar rules could apply to petrol-powered vehicles. This would allow the cost of the scrappage scheme to be spread over more years and possibly the amount of compensation to be increased.

Also, could motorists using Shell’s V-Power, BP’s Ultimate and other premium fuels be initially exempted? They clean and protect key fuel components to maintain engine performance and, according to a leading motoring business, do an excellent job at reducing emissions.

It could be policed by requiring motorists to register for this exemption and randomly checking vehicles, with heavy fines imposed on anyone caught cheating.

Roger Hinds

Surrey

Too good to be true

The staggering crash of the FTX crypto trading empire just reinforces the well-known scam warning: “If it seems good to be true – it probably is!”

A lot of people were expecting to get massive gains for nothing, simply from trading imaginary funds. This is speculation, not investment, and as we are told in the small print, there is always a risk that the stake money can be lost. Surely they and their financial advisers knew this – but were driven by greed to go ahead anyway?

Mike Margetts

Kilsby

London Fire Brigade culture

There are many who believe that the culture within an organisation is moulded from the top down. While the head of the London Fire Brigade may or may not have been complicit in the actions of his employees, it beggars belief that he was not aware of what was going on under his watch.

If he wasn’t aware, then he should have been. Either way, it seems that not only those found to have been involved in the disgraceful behaviour we are hearing about, but also those who were in charge, should bear responsibility.

G Forward

Stirling

Plumbing the depths

As James Moore and John Rentoul affirm, the arrogant and self-serving cynicism of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss continues unabated as they seek to undermine the current prime minister and, like that other shameless opportunist Matt Hancock, seek “forgiveness”, rehabilitation and future earning power.

The comparisons with former Tory minister, John Profumo, continue to mark the depths to which our politics have sunk. When he was discredited for sexual impropriety that put the nation’s security at risk 60 years ago; Profumo resigned, removed himself from public office and dedicated the rest of his life to charitable work.

These recent iterations of Tory leadership do not understand virtues such as penance, patience, diligence and humility. Devoid of any moral compass, they seek direction by calculating what they can get away with, not how best they might serve others.

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Meanwhile, those currently in charge of our government are primarily concerned not with what’s best for the nation, but what might guarantee the future survival of their discredited party and damage the effectiveness of any future Labour government.

Graham Powell

Cirencester

Decency or cowardice?

On the one hand, David Cameron “did the decent thing” – as John Rentoul writes – by leaving parliament after the Brexit vote.

Another way to see it is that he landed us in the Brexit mess and then walked away, washing his hands of the consequences of his actions. How decent was that?

Joanna Pallister

Durham City