Who do you suppose said this:
"We need to be conscious about the economic effects that any measures have on different groups within society, because we know that people on lower incomes tend to drive older cars that are going to be hit by low emission zones. Electric cars cost money that people on lower incomes can’t necessarily find the capital to pay. All of these issues need to be taken into consideration when you are developing policy, and explained and consulted all the way along.”
Ordinarily, you might think that this comes from a centre-left 'progressive' politician with one eye on social justice and the other on the electorate. But no. It’s a quote from Jim Skea, the new apolitical head of the IPPC and is a critique of the way that the ULEZ policy has been played out in London. The full interview is here. It might also be read as call for more carefully thought through green policies more generally, as is this argument from the GMB trade union which does at least seem to take the reality of family poverty seriously.
The next election manifestos will need careful drafting.
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In an interview today (21st September), Kemi Badenoch the Saffron Walden MP responded to the statement by interviewer Jayne Secker that the poorest in society ‘don’t drive'. She said:
"If you step outside of London, come to my constituency, you will find the poorest in society drive because they live in a rural area… What you’ve said is actually quite astonishing… People who live in cities will be able to deal with this in a way that is quite different from people who live in towns and rural areas. We need to think about everybody, not just the metropolitan bubble."
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