Khan hails Ulez success as London under limit for toxic pollutant for first time

The mayor of London has hailed the success of the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) as new Government data revealed that the capital has met legal limits for toxic nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution for the first time.

Sir Sadiq Khan said he is “thrilled” that London has achieved the “historic milestone”.

In 2019, experts at Kings College London estimated that without further action it would take 193 years for London to meet legal limits, but City Hall said Sir Sadiq has achieved this aim in nine years.

The figures, published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on Tuesday, revealed that London met the air quality standards regulations for the first time in 2024, while Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool exceeded those limits.

Sir Sadiq extended the controversial scheme from everywhere within the North and South Circular roads to cover all London boroughs on August 29 2023, creating the world’s biggest pollution charging zone.

He said: “This is incredible news. I’m thrilled that London has achieved this historic milestone of meeting the legal limits for nitrogen dioxide for the first time. I remember being told that it would take 193 years to reach legal limits. I decided that this was unacceptable and thanks to the bold policies we put in place, we’ve managed to do it in just nine years – 184 years early.

“This means that almost 10 million people are now breathing cleaner air, fewer children are growing up with stunted lungs and fewer people will have to suffer from asthma, dementia and heart disease, which means big savings for the NHS.

“It wasn’t always easy. When we first introduced the ULEZ and then expanded it London-wide, we faced huge pressure from different quarters who wanted to obstruct and slow us down. But pressing on was the right thing to do. It’s made an even bigger difference that we predicted. I’ll continue to work with the Government, London boroughs and partners to continue building a healthier, greener, fairer London for everyone.”

Professor Frank Kelly, of the environmental research group at Imperial College London said: “London’s compliance with the UK’s annual mean NO2 limit value in 2024 marks a truly remarkable turnaround for the city’s air quality.

“Just five years ago, research we undertook estimated it could take nearly two centuries to reach this milestone without decisive action.”

Since the mayor took office in 2016, levels of NO2 at roadsides has nearly halved, according to City Hall, and he has pledged to continue to tackle air pollution in the capital with plans to electrify all of London’s bus fleet and introduce more charging points for electric vehicles.

Published: 30/09/2025 by Radio NewsHub