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Pressure is growing on Sadiq khan to “take responsibility” and apologise after a watchdog found some Ulez adverts were misleading.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that four adverts created by Transport for London (TfL) and the Greater London Authority (GLA) “were likely to mislead” as the basis of the claims were not “given”, “explained” or “adequately substantiated”.
Now, London Assembly group leader Neil Garratt has slammed Khan and said because “these advertisements were funded by the taxpayer, we believe you should now apologise for your role in misleading Londoners”.
In response, the London mayor’s spokesperson insists there was “nothing misleading about the content” and that they were “clearly presented”.
Sadiq Khan faces calls to apologise and ‘take responsibility’ after a watchdog found some Ulez adverts were misleading
Getty
The adverts were released ahead of the Ulez expansion in August last year to cover wider London boroughs.
The ASA said that the four adverts – three radio adverts and one newspaper advert – were “likely to mislead”.
One included a claim about the benefits of Ulez, another regarding most air pollution related deaths occurring in outer London and a third in reference to pollution levels inside cars.
TfL previously responded to the findings and said the ASA’s conclusions rested on a “minor technical point”.
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In a letter to Khan, Garratt said he and Conservative colleagues were “disappointed to see your spokesperson suggest the ASA were incorrect and refer to your attempt to mislead Londoners as a ‘minor technical point’.”
He added: “We would, therefore, urge you to take responsibility for the disingenuous adverts, accept the ASA’s verdict and apologise to Londoners for having misled them.”
In response to Garratt’s letter, the mayor’s spokesperson said: “There is nothing misleading about the content of the GLA and TfL ads. The ASA is not contesting this science, but the wording of the adverts.
“The information was based on robust scientific evidence and was clearly presented.
The Ulez expansion was met with protests from people unhappy with the daily charge
PA
“The ruling from the ASA is about minor technical points in the adverts. We will take this into account when drafting the wording and referencing in any future adverts.
“We are confident the adverts were accurate and not misleading. They went through a robust process and were approved by air quality policy experts and Radiocentre [the industry body for radio adverts].”
It comes as London sees a huge influx of damaged Ulez cameras after the £12.50 daily charge was expanded.
The Mayor of London said he does not mind people protesting against his green policy, but said it should be done “legally and safely”.
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