THE public appear to oppose plans to extend an Ultra-Low Emission Zone in London, a new poll reveals.

The People Polling for GB News poll asked voters what they thought of Sadiq Khan’s scheme that forces drivers of old and diesel vehicles to pay £12.50 every time they turn on their car to help improve air quality.

Only 24% of the public said they support this plan, with 46% opposing. A further 31% of the public say they don’t know or prefer not to say. In London, 35% of people support the plan, whereas 45% are against it.

Commenting, politics expert Professor Matt Goodwin, said: “Charging people to move their cars as a way of improving air quality might please members of the elite but we find that only a minority of the public are in favour.

“Only one quarter of the country support the extension of the ULEZ while a much larger number are opposed to it. This suggests that Sadiq Khan has some way to go if he is to convince a sceptical public of the need to make this change because, so far, voters are not in favour.”

Details of the public’s view on the issue comes after Boris Johnson branded Sadiq Khan’s plans to expand the ULEZ across the capital a “mad lefty tax” and accused him of “bankrupting TfL”.

The ex-prime minister and London mayor weighed in on the row over the controversial scheme, which would see drivers of non-compliant vehicles charged £12.50 a day.

In a video posted on Twitter, Johnson quipped: “I know quite a lot about improving air quality in London.”

He said: “You do not need an all-London emissions zone, an outer London emissions zone, it’s inner London that has the air quality problem.”

And he accused Khan of mismanaging London’s finances, adding: “There’s only one reason why he’s doing it and that’s because he’s bankrupted TfL… and he wants to rake in money from motorists.”

The MP for Uxbridge said he was supporting Hillingdon council in its opposition to the expansion and backing Conservative peer Daniel Moylan’s proposed amendment to the levelling up bill, which would give boroughs the final say over Khan’s “ruinous cash grab”.

He added: “Stop this mad lefty tax on people’s lives and livelihoods.”