Keir Starmer has stood by and utterly failed to condemn Sadiq Khan’s unpopular war on motorists
Wrath at Khan
IN his latest pious public pronouncement, Sadiq Khan insisted the extension of Ulez to outer London would leave him “on the right side of history.”
As scaffolding boss Noel Willcox has proved at a tribunal, the Mayor’s scheme may not even be totally on the right side of the law.
Whatever, the ugly truth is that from tomorrow millions more drivers will be caught in its expanding net.
The justification for this is minimal, the science behind it is at least debatable.
But as long as the cash from issuing fines to the least well-off drivers keeps rolling in, Khan will be happy.
Less relaxed is Sir Keir Starmer.
The Labour leader has stood by and utterly failed to condemn Khan’s unpopular war on motorists.
But Tory glee at Starmer’s discomfort is tempered by their own failure to rein in London’s Mayor.
It should have been possible for the Government to block Ulez expansion.
The Tories have chosen not to do so.
Meanwhile, Khan insisted yesterday that he is “crystal clear” he won’t also introduce a road pricing scheme, charging motorists for every mile they cover.
But can they really believe him?
Back to school
NICK Gibb is a schools minister who genuinely cares about education.
So his warning about an epidemic of truancy should be heeded.
He’s not just talking about a few naughty kids bunking off school.
It’s become a large-scale and deep-rooted societal problem.
Children who once took a single day sick are now stretching that out for two or three.
More worryingly, post-pandemic kids are seemingly getting used to the idea that they don’t have to be in the classroom every day.
As a result, a culture of WFH among mums and dads appears to be spreading to a LFH (learning from home) crisis among our children.
This has to be nipped in the bud now.
The best place for any child to learn is in the classroom in front of their teacher.
There is only so much the Government or teachers can do about pupil absence.
Ultimately it is down to parents who have to realise the damage they’re potentially doing to their own kids’ futures.
Lager loots
THE average cost of a pint has doubled in the last 15 years.
One London bar is now even charging £9 for a draught pint.
And there are warnings you could end up with zero change from a tenner by 2030.
It’s enough to make you want to drown your sorrows… although you might need to win the lottery first.