Keir Starmer refuses to say if Ulez expansion was right

Sir Keir Starmer spoke to BBC London ahead of the Labour Party Conference

Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer has refused to say whether the decision taken by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) was the right one.

Sir Keir would not answer the question that was put to him several times in an interview with BBC London.

He did however raise concerns over Euston station investment, saying the "government has lost control" over HS2.

His interview came ahead of the Labour conference, which starts on Sunday.

The leader of the opposition spoke about a range of issues in his interview with BBC London political editor Tim Donovan.

'Cannot commit'

Sir Keir told him he was "glad" Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had confirmed that high-speed rail link HS2 would run into London Euston station as initially planned - although it has since emerged it might not - but he "needs to look at the details as the budget is being dramatically reduced".

The Labour leader raised concerns over a reduction in the number of HS2 platforms at Euston station, and warned this could "cause significant problems for the future".

Despite highlighting the impact of reduced funding on the project, he said he "cannot commit to reversing" the decision to scrap the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2.

Asked whether Mr Khan had been right to expand Ulez, Sir Keir refused to be drawn although he told BBC London the "the mayor had to make difficult decisions".

He said he wanted to "look at other options across the country" in terms of how air pollution can be tackled, as his concern is that "Ulez can disproportionately impact those who are really struggling".

Sir Keir previously stated that Mr Khan should "reflect" on the expansion. Following those remarks, in July, the mayor expanded the Ulez scrappage scheme to all Londoners, a measure that came in a week before the expansion came into force.

Sir Keir also spoke to the BBC about knife crime, offering his support to Mr Khan in the wake of the killing of 15-year-old Elianne Andam. The teenager was stabbed on her to way to school last week.

Sir Keir said the mayor "has been doing a lot to get on top of the problem".

He added that, alongside a strong police presence, it was important to "work with schools and hospitals to do everything we can to nip this in the bud".

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