Private emails uncovered by the Telegraph suggest that Sadiq Khan’s office tried to discredit scientists who found that his Ultra Low Emissions Zone policy had a minimal impact on pollution. Here’s an excerpt:
In private emails seen by the Telegraph, Shirley Rodrigues, the London Mayor’s Deputy for Environment and Energy, told Professor Frank Kelly she was “really disappointed” that Imperial College had publicised findings questioning the effectiveness of Ulez.
Prof. Kelly, a director of Imperial’s Environmental Research Group, which has been paid more than £800,000 by Mr. Khan’s office since 2021, agreed to issue a statement – partly written by Ms. Rodrigues – saying Ulez had helped to “dramatically reduce air pollution”.
London Conservatives said the correspondence revealed an “alarmingly cosy relationship” between the Mayor’s office and the scientists it was funding, as well as a desire to “silence scientists who question the effectiveness of Khan’s policies”.
Prof. Kelly’s colleagues said they stood by their research “100%”, but the Telegraph understands that the fallout has had a chilling effect, leaving them unwilling to publish further work on the subject.
The study from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, published in the journal ‘Environmental Research Letters’ in 2021, found that the introduction of Ulez in 2019 cut nitrogen dioxide by less than three per cent and had insignificant effects on ozone and particulate matter.
Peter Fortune, the Conservative London Assembly Member for Bexley and Bromley, two of the boroughs challenging the Ulez expansion, said: “It is unacceptable that Sadiq Khan and his deputy conspired to silence legitimate research because it would damage the Mayor’s reputation and credibility.
“Sadiq Khan has claimed he is just following the science, yet he has been using scientific advisors to protect his own interests. Science relies on open, transparent debate.”
Imperial’s Environmental Research Group has been paid at least £802,958 by Mr. Khan’s office since 2021, including a payment of £45,958 for a report on the “future health benefits of mayoral air quality policies” which has been widely cited by the Mayor despite not being peer reviewed.
Councillor Colin Smith, the leader of Bromley Council said: “When academics are paid for their research, it quite reasonably leads to questions being asked about the outcomes sought by those commissioning the work.
“Indeed, as long ago as last autumn we directly challenged Imperial as to their methodology and the conclusions of some of their research ourselves, and the revelation of these emails now serves to seriously heighten those concerns.”
Emails released under Freedom of Information requests show that Ms. Rodrigues wrote to Prof. Kelly on Nov 16th 2021, complaining that Sky News, the Times and the Mail were running a “misleading” Ulez study that had been press released by Imperial College.
Ms. Rodrigues thanked Prof. Kelly’s team for trying to stop Imperial’s press office from releasing the research and said that she was “deeply concerned” about the damage the study was doing to the credibility of the Mayor’s office and Ulez.
She added: “Is there anything you can do or advise to help us set the record straight? I would really appreciate any support.”
Prof. Kelly replied, saying he was “totally dismayed” and was “pursuing options internally to offset this”. He said he would be “very happy to provide the Greater London Authority with support required as you move to mitigate the damage”.
Prof. Kelly sent a statement to Ms. Rodrigues to check, which initially said actions by the Mayor were “collectively providing a major benefit to the city”. She replied, crossing out the word “collectively” and adding that the Mayor’s schemes “have dramatically reduced air pollution in London”.
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