THE Labour candidate for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, Danny Beales, has caused a stir by going against London mayor Sadiq Khan’s Ulez expansion plan.
The Ulez zone expansion is due to go ahead in August and will see the most polluting vehicles have to pay a £12.50-aday toll.
But a High Court challenge against the scheme by five Conservative-run councils took place last week with a final judgement expected by July 31. Beales said he could not support the Ulez until the mayor and the Conservative government go “much further” with support for families and City Hall’s £110 million scrappage scheme.
Protesters at a rally against the expansion of the Ulez zone in London
Low-income Londoners are being offered a package worth as much as £3,000 to scrap their old polluting cars.
However, there is only £110m up for grabs and it will be doled out on a first-come, first-served basis, with car drivers having to vie with van, motorbike and minibus owners for the money.
“I think people expect me to stand up for my community. That’s my job, whether it’s the council, City Hall, or Whitehall; my job is to represent people here and push for better for them,” said Beales.
“We all want clean air, but it has to be done in a fair way that doesn’t punish working people. We need a better scrappage scheme. The government have funded scrappage schemes in other cities. They gave millions of pounds to Birmingham for their scrappage scheme, so I don’t understand why they’re not in London.”
Beales added: “When you hear the stories on the doorstep, we hear people who really don’t face much choice about the matter.
“When you speak to families, I hear heart-wrenching stories at the moment: carers who have to travel to work and can’t afford to pay for their car and may have to give up their job or they can’t afford to scrap their car with the scrappage scheme available’’.
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)